Should Stefanos Tsitsipas not have played doubles with his brother Petros to have a better singles result at French Open?
Ninth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece bowed out of the 2024 French Open by losing 3-6 6-7(3) 4-6 to third seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the quarterfinal on Tuesday, June 4. The Monte-Carlo Masters champion, also a former runner-up at Roland Garros, thus failed to add to his solitary title in this year's European clay swing.
The loss at Roland Garros must have come as a disappointment to the Greek, especially given the fact that he was not even able to win a set. He has thus failed to reach the semifinal of any tournament since losing in the final of the Barcelona Open to Casper Ruud last April.
Should Stefanos Tsitsipas have played doubles?
Stefanos Tsitsipas' hopes, however, are still alive in the doubles competition, as he teamed up with his brother Petros to reach the third round at Roland Garros. However, it might have also caused exhaustion to him.
The 25-year-old Greek won his fourth-round match in singles against Matteo Arnaldi last Sunday. Thus, he would have gotten a free day in between before his quarterfinal clash had he not played in the doubles. It would have enabled him to stay more fresh for the clash against Alcaraz.
However, playing in the doubles with his brother meant that he had to step onto the court on Monday, too. Playing on successive days before appearing against an opponent as tough as Alcaraz was probably not a good idea.
In this context, it has to be mentioned that Stefanos Tsitsipas appeared in the doubles competition at the Barcelona Open, the Madrid Open, and the Italian Open this year, each time with a different partner. It was probably not an ideal set-up for him and might have hampered his preparation for the singles event.
At this stage of his career, playing in singles should be the priority for Stefanos Tsitsipas. His inconsistent form on hard courts has caused him to drop out of the top 5 rankings in the world. Hence, he should have tried to make the most of the European clay swing and kept his focus solely on singles.
Very few top players take part in both singles and doubles these days. The likes of Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz rarely participate in doubles. This allows them to keep their focus entirely on their singles matches and thus improve their rankings. Hence, Stefanos Tsitsipas will also do well to follow suit and abstain from participating in the doubles in big tournaments.