"The stupidest thing that has ever happened to me before a tournament": Tsitsipas details physical struggles in early Australian Open exit

Stefanos Tsitsipas continues struggling to find his best form. At the start of the season, he exited in the second round of the Australian Open, falling to Tomas Machac 7-6(4), 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5). The Czech extended his streak to seven consecutive wins following his Adelaide title a week ago.

The former world No. 3 had started the year with three victories at the United Cup, but in the following weeks, he has struggled, recording only one win and two losses, including another early exit in a major. This marks seven consecutive Grand Slam main-draw appearances where he has not gone past the second round, with only three wins in his last ten Grand Slam matches.

Tsitsipas won his opening match in four sets against Shintaro Mochizuki, but acknowledged physical problems that prevented him from performing at a higher level. During the match against Machac, he even requested a physiotherapist for a lower-body issue and was clutching his leg and foot throughout the contest.

The Greek revealed the unusual reason behind his physical struggles: “A stupid injury happened here, playing soccer four days before the tournament began,” he said to SDNA Greece. “Everyone told me not to play, but I'm proud that I was able to step onto the court and win my first match. It’s one of the worst and stupidest injuries I’ve had before a tournament; it’s never happened to me before.

"So I’m proud that I went out and played. I could have left without playing. It didn’t bother me today, it didn’t even cross my mind. The thing was in the first match, whether I could finish it. I felt better day by day.”

“I did some goalkeeping with a soccer ball and tore the skin on one of my toes when I moved to bring the ball back. It was a sudden movement and I was shocked; it had never happened to me before. I got angry with myself, I couldn’t believe that something so innocent could create such great trauma and pain, because I had difficulty walking for two days. In training, I didn’t run, I avoided running left and right. The stupidest thing that has ever happened to me before a tournament. I learn from this that I never play football again before a tournament.”

“My meniscus tore and it hurt a lot. It’s happened to me before and it’s really bad. As for the other leg, what I have is called Morton’s neuroma and I had it at the ATP Finals in 2019 when I got it. This is working.”

Tsitsipas struggled to find consistency, particularly with his serve, hitting just 56% of first serves (well below Machac’s 68%), though winning 81% of them (above Machac’s 69%). Ultimately, Machac’s effectiveness in crucial moments decided the match, converting 3/3 break opportunities, while Tsitsipas also had three but out of 11 chances.

“I didn’t trust my shots much. I’ve been in better shape in the past, trusting my shots. Today I didn’t trust them enough to play top-level tennis. I played conservatively and in the end played my forehand in a way I’m not used to. Overall, I’m very unhappy with the result because I could have done better.”

In the tie-breaks, the Czech showed more conviction under pressure to close the win. "I will continue trying to listen to the experts, my coach, and my team who has been with me all this time. Honestly, I don’t know how to explain it,” he added. “I’m playing well, I can’t say I’m playing badly, I’m playing well. In the past, I’ve played much worse.

"I’ve gone through stages in my career where I played worse. My serve is good, though my returns are a bit weak, I must admit. I’m disappointed with how I returned today, especially at certain moments of the match.”

“I’m still trying to understand and explain why I failed on returns because in my mind I was looking for something standard, something I’ve practiced many times and repeated in training,” the two-time Grand Slam finalist continued. “And to see that on court, during a match, it turns out differently is very frustrating and disappointing. I just try to find solutions and see what comes out, maybe working on it more.”