Holding a career-record of 103 wins and 31 losses on clay, Stefanos Tsitsipas loves the red dirt.
After a third triumph at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Monte Carlo last week, Tsitsipas has now won four of his past six titles on clay – three in the Principality, and one in Lyon.
Battling injuries and lacking form, the world No.7 started the 2024 season slow by his standards, with just one semifinal appearance for the year prior to the clay-court season.
But since the tour’s transition to European clay, Tsitsipas has impressively built a eight-match winning streak.
For a player whose game style is built around a powerful serve and forehand, it is unusual that Tsitsipas’ best results have always come on clay.
Yet when we assess his game on this surface, you can see why clay is a happy hunting ground.
As explained by Game Insight Group analyst Simon Rae on The AO Show podcast this week, Tsitsipas uses his weapons and his positioning on higher bouncing courts to his advantage.
“It’s high bouncing (in Monte Carlo) so he’s able to get enough reward on his serve where the bounce actually works for him,” Rae explains.
“But on return, it creates that element of time. He’s way back, basically in the front row of the grandstand returning serve.”
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His Monte Carlo triumph marked the first time in the 25-year-old’s career where he was able to defeat three top-10 players in the same tournament.
The benefits to his game on clay are could give the Greek his best chance at defeating top seeds in big events.
“He’s able to minimise the number of times he’s been made really uncomfortable up high on his single-handed backhand return, which is an issue for him against the best players in the world,” Rae said.
“It’s a good recipe, and still serve through the clay because it’s lively and quick conditions.”
Tsitsipas’ biggest win of the week came against world No.2 Jannik Sinner in the semifinals. The 6-4 3-6 6-4 victory handed the Australian Open champion just his second loss for the year.
It was Tsitsipas’ improvement on second-serve points won that proved particularly noteworthy on the great Sinner serve.
“Tsitsipas is the No.41-rated returner on tour over the past 12 months, so it’s not a strength of his game,” Rae said.
“He’s been able to do what not too many people have been able to do in this match; find a way to get on top of the point against Jannik Sinner, dictating with his forehand return.”
This year’s Roland Garros could be one of Tsitsipas’ best chances at a maiden Grand Slam crown.
A major title is a goal that he is desperately fighting for, for himself, and those in his community.
“Being a Grand Slam champion is something that I am planning to do, and max out on this year,” Tsitsipas said in a feature on the same episode of The AO Show.
TSITSIPAS: “I want to inspire more people to pursue a single-handed backhand”
“I find it a very important thing for me to accomplish these things because it will probably give me a closer feel, and a closer direct touch, with people that I inspire”.
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