“I consider myself with the big guys”: Stefanos Tsitsipas insists his ranking does not tell the full story

Friday, 09 October 2026 at 06:30

Stefanos Tsitsipas touches his ear and encourages the crowd.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is looking to finish the 2026 season with a ranking that would allow him to return to the seeded positions at Grand Slams. The former world No. 3 has endured a difficult period with his form and fitness, dropping as low as No. 88, but a recent resurgence has put that goal back within reach as the indoor swing gets underway.

His first-round win at the Shanghai Masters, where he defeated qualifier Kimmer Coppejans 6-3, 7-5, moved him back inside the top 40 in the live rankings. The Greek will now attempt to build on that result, with several tournaments remaining before the end of the season and no ranking points to defend during that period.

Tsitsipas has already taken significant steps forward. He won his 13th ATP title in Gstaad in July, ending a 16-month wait for a trophy, before reaching the fourth round of the US Open for the first time in his career. Those results helped him recover from his ranking slump and return to the top 50.

But he has a more specific objective in mind. Returning to the top 30 would give him a stronger chance of being seeded at the Australian Open and the other Grand Slams in 2027, allowing him to avoid some of the biggest names in the opening rounds. His remaining schedule offers several opportunities to close the gap.

Tsitsipas wants to return to seeded status at Grand Slams

Speaking to Tennis TV before his Shanghai opener, Tsitsipas explained that training and fitness have become his main priorities as he looks to turn his recent progress into a more stable ranking.

“I’ve been getting in a nice routine and a lot of work in the last couple of days," the former world No. 3 said. "This season has a few more quality weeks ahead of it, so I really want to utilise those weeks to score as many points as possible, get myself in a nice sweet position ranking-wise, being seeded for Grand Slams, being able to avoid the big players in the earlier rounds.”

The Greek spent years accustomed to arriving at major tournaments as a seed. He had a run of 30 consecutive seeded Grand Slam appearances from 2018 through to the start of 2026, including 19 tournaments in which he was among the top eight seeds. He was seeded 31st at the Australian Open this year, but subsequently played Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open without a seeding.

Grand Slam tournament seedings

Year	Australian Open	French Open	Wimbledon	US Open
2017	Did not qualify	Qualified	Qualified	Did not qualify
2018	Not seeded	Not seeded	31st	15th
2019	14th	6th	7th	8th
2020	6th	5th	Tournament cancelled	4th
2021	5th	5th (1)	3rd	3rd
2022	4th	4th	4th	4th
2023	3rd (2)	5th	5th	7th
2024	7th	9th	11th	11th
2025	11th	20th	24th	26th
2026	31st	Not seeded	Not seeded	Not seeded

That change has been one of the clearest indicators of his recent struggles. Tsitsipas previously reached two Grand Slam finals and climbed to world No. 3, but injuries and inconsistent results forced him to rebuild from much further down the rankings than he was accustomed to.

“My tennis is well put together. I feel like there are going to be new, exciting challenges moving ahead, because I’m really close to fulfilling that goal of mine that I spoke about a few months ago."

"The next few weeks are going to be rough, they’re going to be difficult, and I’m mentally prepared that I will need to surpass myself in a few different circumstances and situations, and maybe have tough, difficult matches that I will have to overcome too.”

Tsitsipas has also been setting targets for himself away from the rankings. He said he writes down his goals and believes that having a clear plan has helped him rebuild his confidence. Among those objectives were winning an ATP 250 title, reaching the second week of a Grand Slam and beating top-10 opponents.

“I wanted to be top 30 at the end of the season, I wrote my goals down, so I’ve completed 80% of them. Win a 250 title was one of them, try and beat two top-10 guys by the end of the year, I think I’ve achieved one so far if I’m not wrong. They are a few of the things that I want to accomplish.”

An opportunity to climb without points to defend

Tsitsipas has a favourable ranking situation heading into the final stretch of the season. He has no points to defend in the remainder of 2026, leaving him free to add to his total without simultaneously having to protect results from the previous year.

After Shanghai, his schedule includes the Almaty Open from October 19-25, the Swiss Indoors Basel from October 26 to November 1, and the Paris Masters from November 2-8, according to the ATP's 2026 calendar.

The immediate challenge is Luciano Darderi, who awaits in the second round in Shanghai. Tsitsipas won their only previous meeting, at Halle in 2025, and a victory would give him another opportunity to collect valuable points at a Masters 1000 event.

Live ranking (After Shanghai first round)

	Player	Points
28	João Fonseca	1,750
29	Tomás Martín Etcheverry	1,590
30	Alejandro Tabilo	1,565
31	Hubert Hurkacz	1,505
32	Ignacio Buse	1,445
33	Valentin Vacherot	1,440
34	Arthur Fery	1,421
35	Ugo Humbert	1,420
36	Matteo Arnaldi	1,386
37	Alex Michelsen	1,370
38	Botic van de Zandschulp	1,263
39	Stefanos Tsitsipas	1,260
40	Cameron Norrie	1,235

The ranking gap is still significant. Alejandro Tabilo, currently No. 30, has 1,565 points, giving Tsitsipas a useful benchmark for the level he needs to reach. The exact cutoff will depend on results elsewhere, but getting close to 1,600 points would put him in contention for a return to the top 30.

Read also

For a player who has spent much of his career among the leading names in men's tennis, the objective is not simply to recover a ranking number. It is to return to Grand Slam tournaments with the protection of a seed and a better chance of avoiding the sport's biggest threats early in the draw.

Tsitsipas has already made progress in 2026; the remaining weeks will determine whether he can turn that recovery into a top-30 finish.

Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist

Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.

His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.

In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.

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