Stefanos Tsitsipas has hit back at critics questioning his dedication to tennis after a string of disappointing results in recent months.

The World No. 7 last won a title on the ATP Tour at the Los Cabos Open in August. Since then, he has been unable to make it past a second match at any tournament, notably crashing out of the US Open in the second round against Dominic Stricker.

Most recently, the Greek player had a difficult time on the Asian Swing, losing to Nicolas Jarry in his opening match at the China Open before being defeated by Ugo Humbert in his second round at the Shanghai Masters.

After this defeat, some critics accused Tsitsipas, who reached the final of the Australian Open back in January, of no longer focussing on his tennis career. Former World No. 3 Pam Shriver suggested that the 25-year-old was perhaps distracted and disheartened by the talent of younger players such as Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Ben Shelton.

"A lot of turbulence. A lot of on and off court social media posts; lot of stuff about the coaching situation; dating [Paula Badosa]. I know what it’s like to be a chaser and not quite get there. It was exhausting [...] So, whether or not that’s happening to Tsitsipas now, and kind of like [he’s] disheartened now, seeing the quality of Alcaraz, Sinner, and even Shelton," she said. 

However, Tsitsipas has refuted such claims ahead of his participation as the top seed at the European Open in Antwerp, saying that he is training more now than ever before in his career. 

"People who claim that I am no longer focused on tennis, I train more than I ever did in my career," he said.

Tsitsipas went on to add that he wasn't trying to prove anything to anyone but himself as he aims to regain his previous form.

"I don’t want to prove anything to anyone, except to myself, to prove to myself that I am capable of regaining my level. I believe in it," he continued.