"We are like dinosaurs heading for extinction" - Stefanos Tsitsipas admits his sadness for specific shot becoming seldom seen

A resurgent tournament for Stefanos Tsitsipas has put him back in the limelight as his quest to rise the rankings back to the elite took another positive turn as he reaches the third round of the US Open. All while doing so with the seldom seen one-handed backhand as he called himself a 'dinosaur' with that specific shot spiralling in the same direction as those pre-historic creatures.

The Greek produced a huge upset in the first round as Cincinnati Open champion and one of the title favourites Arthur Fils was defeated in four sets. It was a stunning victory as the two-time Grand Slam finalist rolled back the years.

He backed it up with yet another comeback win, this time against South African Lloyd Harris to reach the US Open third round for the second time, and the first since 2021.

The event at Flushing Meadows has not been a strong one for the 28-year-old over the years. It is a tournament that has been dominated by early exits with him never making it past the last-32 despite the level he once reached.

He can break this duct against Jiri Lehecka who is looking to defend a quarter-final run from last year. It is a tough test but Tsitsipas is currently flowing with a confidence that has not been with him for some time.

There have been a few positive moments over the last couple of years including title runs in Dubai and Switzerland while a fourth round run at the Madrid Open saw him miss match points against the reigning champion Casper Ruud. He has not been able to kick on following any of these, but this is a new chance to step on the gas.

While the results are a huge boost for Tsitsipas and a trend that is going in the right direction, he has dismissed these to an extent with the performance very much on the forefront of his mind as he tries to reach his prior level in his pomp.

"I define success by improvement," he said in his press conference following the second round win in New York. "It has nothing to do with a specific result. If I see that in my next match I have raised my level and worked on certain aspects of my game, that alone makes me happy."

With his team, he is motivated to put in the work and improve his game. "The result is secondary for now. I focus more, with my team, on how we can truly improve, even with only the one day of practice we have tomorrow. I want to get back on track and have that mentality in practice: I want to improve. What can I do? What can I improve?"

Despite the recent woes and lows, there is a sense of optimism that he can win a first ever major title. "When I was young, watching tennis, watching the highest level of the sport and the Grand Slams, I couldn't imagine wanting to stop at the third round of a Grand Slam. As a kid, I always imagined the big matches: the semifinals, the finals."

The Tsitsipas backhand has been under scrutiny for some time now. He has been put under the cosh on it a number of times with poor technique that compromises his game.

This is not totally down to the now unorthodox one-handed approach that less and less players are taking these days as they lean towards the more reliable two-handed backhand.

It is a hard shot to produce, but effective when you get it right as Tsitsipas explained. "The one-handed backhand requires exceptional footwork and very good technique," he commented. "With a one-handed backhand, you have zero margin. If you are late, you are late."

As the years go on, less players are using this iconic shot with Tsitsipas part of a dying breed, something that makes him slightly glum. "It is sad that this shot is disappearing. You watch decade after decade and there are fewer and fewer of us left. We are like dinosaurs heading for extinction."

He will hope that it is at an effective level to fend off Lehecka in the third round of the US Open. If he defeats the eighth seed, he could be on course to possibly meet Ben Shelton and even Carlos Alcaraz later on in the event.