Stefanos Tsitsipas is celebrating a notable milestone this week, becoming the 26th player since 1973 with 200 consecutive top-10 weeks! Stefanos cracked the elite group in March 2019, still at 20, settling into a notable company and staying in the group. Tsitsipas has been a part of the top-7 since the 2019 US Open, playing consistent tennis and never risking leaving the elite top-10 group. If he keeps this level, the Greek will pass Nikolay Davydenko, Andy Roddick, Goran Ivanisevic, Vitas Gerulaitis and Ilie Nastase, eager to climb the list. After two year-end no. 6 spots, Stefanos raised his level in 2021 and 2022, finishing as world no. 4 and hoping for more in the current season. Stefanos is the fourth-best player in 2023 after Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, earning only 120 points less than a 22-time Major winner. Tsitsipas lost the Australian Open final to Djokovic before slowing down a bit in the next two months.
The Greek lost the Barcelona Open final to Carlos Alcaraz before falling to Jan-Lennard Struff and Daniil Medvedev in Madrid and Rome. The finalist from two years ago, Tsitsipas will try to go higher at Roland Garros, facing a formidable opponent in the first round and prevailing in four sets. Stefanos met Jiri Vesely and earned a tight 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 victory in three hours and 13 minutes. The Czech played his first ATP tournament since the last year’s US Open, giving his everything and pushing the 5th seed to the limits. Jiri led 5-3 in the opener and served for it, only to drop four straight games. Also, the Czech had four set points in the fourth set, squandering them and missing a chance to force a decider. Stefanos played better behind the first and second serve, facing seven break points and losing serve three times. He turned 35% of the return points into 11 break chances, seizing four and avoiding a decider.
Stefanos Tsitsipas it the 26th player with 200 consecutive top-10 weeks.
The Greek landed 58 winners and 30 unforced errors, producing efficient tennis in the shortest rallies up to four strokes and earning his victory in that area. Tsitsipas pulled the break back at 4-5 in the opener and delivered two straight return games to steal it 7-5 after 48 minutes. Stefanos broke in the second set’s sixth game after the rival’s loose volley and fired an ace at 5-3 to clinch it and build a massive advantage. Still pushing strong, Vesely delivered five comfortable holds in the third set and waited for a chance on the return. Tsitsipas denied a break point in the eighth game with a service winner and served to stay in the set at 4-5.
He sprayed a backhand error and gave Vesely two set points. Jiri seized the first following Stefanos’ terrible forehand to wrap up the set 6-4 and force the fourth. They traded breaks in games three and four, and Tsitsipas faced the first ultimate challenge in the eighth game. He denied two break points with winners and moved closer to the finish line after earning three break chances in the next one. Vesely saved them and held for 5-4 and more drama. The set went into a tie break, and Jiri earned three set points at 6-3. Stefanos denied them and erased the fourth with a service winner for 7-7. The Greek forced the Czech’s error for 8-7 and his first match point. Stefanos cracked a forehand crosscourt winner to seal the deal and move into the second round.
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