Stefanos Tsitsipas makes drastic racquet choice in response to critical ATP problem

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."

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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.

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