Stefanos Tsitsipas has been through a challenging few months both on and off the tennis court.
Tsitsipas split with coach Goran Ivanisevic after Wimbledon, before re-hiring his father as his main coach once again.
The Greek is yet to be rewarded for this decision, with Tsitsipas losing in the second round of the US Open in a dramatic five set match against Daniel Altmaier.
Tsitsipas has now lost six of his last eight matches, and he has spoken about the issue he was struggling with at the US Open.
Photo by Elsa/Getty ImagesStefanos Tsitsipas admits his back injury was troubling him at the US Open
Tsitsipas won the Dubai Tennis Championships back in February, but it has been a relatively poor season for him since then.
One of the contributing factors to Tsitsipas being unable to perform at his highest ability has been an ongoing back injury.
When speaking to Greek outlet Sdna, Tsitsipas explained that he was actually feeling better when practicing at the US Open, before he started to feel discomfort again in his matches.
Tsitsipas suggested that he thinks his injury may have returned due to the stress and anxiety of playing matches after struggling to find form.
“In the American swing, in Toronto, Cincinnati and Winston Salem – although there were some discomforts – there were not many problems, I did not have to stop training, to train less than I usually do,” explained Tsitsipas. “There we found the balance with the team, we found a margin to put in the right work that we wanted for so long.
“Anxiety and stress played a role in the injury coming back. The strangest thing is that I trained before entering my first match at the US Open and I felt amazing, perfect. We all feel anxious and it does not help that I have not won many matches lately. So I entered the match and immediately started to feel what I had been feeling for so long.
“And that upsets me because I’ve put in so much work, I’ve worked countless hours to prepare, and when I got on the field I realized that I might not even be in a condition to play. Mentally, that shakes you up when you’re in the game and you have in your mind that you haven’t won much lately, so that combination doesn’t help.”
What is next for Stefanos Tsitsipas after the US Open?
Tsitsipas, who is now the world number 27, is now looking to return to the match court for the first time since the US Open.
The two-time Grand Slam finalist is expected to return to the match court in the coming days for Greece’s Davis Cup tie against Brazil in Athens, but Tsitsipas has tempered expectations of himself.
“I don’t want to promise too many things, because I’m currently trying to get rid of the trauma I’ve suffered in recent weeks,” added Tsitsipas. “I’m not sure yet, but I’ll do my best.”
Tsitsipas’ next scheduled ATP tournament is at the China Open, where he is a former runner-up.
The 27-year-old will then remain in China for the Shanghai Masters, as he looks to gain much needed ranking points.