Stefanos Tsitsipas will have a chance to prove his class at the French Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas remains somewhat of an enigma to tennis lovers in general. He has almost everything in his game except a good backhand to consistently succeed at the highest level.
However, he has somehow not quite been able to do justice to his undeniable talent yet. At 24, Tsitsipas is yet to win a Grand Slam and a Masters 1000 tournament on a hard court.
The Greek had a great chance to win the French Open in 2021 but allowed Novak Djokovic to bounce back from a two-set deficit to win in the final. Tsitsipas is undoubtedly at his best while playing on clay and will remain one of the strongest contenders in the upcoming French Open.
Tsitsipas has often been pipped at the post this season
The Greek has made deep runs into most of the tournaments in the European clay swing but has not been able to win a title. He lost in the quarter-final in Monte Carlo and then was beaten in the semi-final in Madrid as well as in Rome.
Stefanos is ranked fifth in the world at the moment but cannot claim to have really made it unless he wins a Grand Slam. His best chances of winning a slam should be at Roland Garros. It remains to be seen how deep he manages to go in this year’s tournament.
The backhand has always been a concern for the Greek
Tsitsipas boasts one of the best serves and forehands on the tour but his backhand has often let him down. One of the few players at the moment to have a one-handed backhand, the Greek has a tendency to hit his backhand into the net or over the baseline, as he showed in his recent match against Daniil Medvedev in Rome.
The problem probably lies with his follow-through and he should probably move his racket as straight as possible instead of moving it sideways after hitting the ball. However, the 24-year-old's ability to set a point up by hitting an inside-out forehand before rushing the net to finish it with a volley should be an asset on the red dirt of Paris.
In order to make this year’s French Open really a memorable one, Tsitsipas will have to overcome the likes of Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz, which is an unenviable task.