(Newswire.net — May 7, 2022) — He may currently be fifth in the ATP World Rankings, but after his performance in Monte Carlo, Stefanos Tsitsipas’ stock has risen ahead of the 2022 French Open. The second Grand Slam of the year is set to take place towards the end of this month, and the Greek is being tipped for success – with his name alongside the likes of Novak Djokovic, who makes his return to a Slam after an absence, and the King of Clay himself, Rafael Nadal.
Based upon previous showings – Tsitsipas lost last year’s final at Roland-Garros to Djokovic himself, with a semi-final exit the year before – as well as current form, there’s no surprise his name is amongst the tennis betting, despite having never won a Grand Slam title.
Earlier this year, Tsitsipas won his 200th tour-level match – becoming the first player born in (or later than) 1998 to achieve the feat. He has since followed that up by successfully defending his Monte Carlo Open title – defeating Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets: 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) – to win his second ATP Masters 1000 event, and his eighth singles title overall.
However, he recently went into the Barcelona Open as the favorite – with Nadal still recuperating after injury – and suffered a loss in the quarter-final stage, at the hands of an up-and-coming teenager, Carlos Alcaraz. It marked the third time Tsitsipas had lost to the 18-year-old, who boasts a 100% record over his counterpart – winning both the US Open match in the round of 32 last year, as well as the Miami Open encounter (round of 16) back in March.
During their Catalan clash at the end of last month, the Greek was also called out for his “desperate” attempt to hit his rival with the ball, during their first set, in which Alcaraz was winning 5-4 (and 40-love up). While Tsitsipas often plays aggressively on the baseline, it looked as though the shot was aimed at the player, rather than the court – with the ugly scenes marring what had been a thrilling contest. Understandably, boos and jeers came from the home crowd, while Tsitsipas’ father (and coach) was picked up by the cameras, simply shrugging at the actions.
With both the Madrid Open and Italian Open on the schedule before Roland-Garros plays host once more to Grand Slam tennis, Tsitsipas has confirmed his attendance in the former – which will also see the return to tennis for Nadal, who suffered a rib injury at Indian Wells, in March. Djokovic, too, will aim to continue his comeback – having only played in four tournaments so far this year – making the entries list for upcoming events stronger, and thus, it’s likely the French Open odds will change.
Tsitsipas has a reasonable record on clay, and across all courts, it is his favored surface – with a 75% success rate (156-73). However, it’s worth noting that his last two exits in the French Open have come at the hands of Djokovic. If anyone can overthrow the dominance of the ‘big two, it has to be Tsitsipas – provided he doesn’t come up against Alcaraz again.