Stefanos Tsitsipas saw off Lorenzo Sonego yesterday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships but the Greek in his 7-6, 6-3 win made a bit of a drastic decision which paid dividends.
Not only did he change the frame of his racquet but he changed the strings and the tension in a move which he admitted was down to the constant ball changes on the tour and the fastness of court.
Tsitsipas has not been having a great time of it as of late on the ATP Tour losing in the opening round of Qatar to Hamed Medjedovic. He lost in the Quarter-Final of Rotterdam but it has been fits and starts and unlike last year when he won Monte-Carlo change has been needed and is apparent.
"There have been some changes on the ATP tour... balls and courts have become slower and slower and I'm just trying to adapt to that... One of the things I wasn't been having a great time was these slow conditions."
Those online said that this racquet is a Babolat aero 98/100 with black strings which is used by Carlos Alcaraz. Slightly stiffer and with a more open string pattern, the user on X who discovered this said that in theory it should give more help with depth and be a touch more forgiving.
With his backhand, it gives him more help and is a move which was used also by Roger Federer. He took this step to gain more power on the backhand by taking a larger head on the racquet. It worked very well for him and in reality with Tsitsipas being a similar player could work the same.
But also he could lose next round and it be null and void. Albeit given he has won his opener last week, he is very much in need of that change however it does indeed come.
Hoy, en datos random: Tsitsipas juega esta semana en Dubai con raquetas pintadas de negro (con el stencil de Wilson, por contrato). Por el corazón, tienen más pinta de un molde Babolat Aero, con patrón 16x20, que una Wilson. Hoy la bola le salió mucho más fácil— Stay tuned. https://t.co/1UFLkCmgqH pic.twitter.com/hXNgUjes64
— Marcos Zugasti (@marcos_z) February 24, 2025
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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