The end of Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Australian Open Sanctuary

Stefanos Tsitsipas was supposed to find himself again in Australia. The script seemed obvious: return to the place where he’s always played his best tennis, rediscover his form, and begin the long climb back to relevance. That’s not what happened.

For years, Australia has been Tsitsipas’s safe haven on the tennis calendar. Few places in the world have suited him as naturally as Melbourne. The climate is warm, which he thrives in. The crowds have embraced him enthusiastically, partly due to Melbourne’s large Greek diaspora. He’s repaid that support with some of the best tennis of his career.

His Grand Slam record tells the story clearly. Of the two finals he’s reached in his career, one came at the Australian Open. He’s made three additional semifinals in Melbourne, a level of consistency he’s never matched at the other majors. He’s never reached the semifinals at the US Open or Wimbledon, and only twice in Paris outside of Melbourne.

This isn’t a coincidence. Tsitsipas has always been comfortable in Australia. The conditions help to some degree, though hard courts generally expose his weak backhand. What’s allowed him to overcome that technical limitation has been his mental state. When he’s comfortable, he plays through his weaknesses. When he’s not, they become fatal.

Stefanos Tsitsipas Comfort Has Vanished

Something fundamental has changed. Tsitsipas wasn’t comfortable in Melbourne this year, and the absence of that ease was visible throughout his campaign. He showed some encouraging signs at the United Cup and wasn’t terrible in his Australian Open matches, but something essential was missing. He looked like a player going through motions rather than competing with conviction, as if his heart wasn’t fully invested anymore.

It’s hard to blame him for the lost motivation. The back injury that derailed his 2024 season did serious damage beyond the physical. His ranking collapsed, his results disappeared, and a turbulent personal life added complications he didn’t need. After this latest setback, it’s difficult to see where the turnaround begins.

If Australia can’t fix him anymore, what does the future hold? The answer depends on a few factors, some encouraging and others troubling. His match against Tomas Machac was competitive and he had genuine chances to win, which suggests the tennis is still there. The back injury appears to be behind him, which removes one major obstacle. But the biggest problems Tsitsipas faces now are mental, and those are issues no coach or physio can solve for him. He’ll have to find the answers himself, and he’ll need to find them quickly. His ranking will continue its downward slide if he doesn’t.

The Technical Reality