Rafael Nadal has Roland Garros. Roger Federer had Wimbledon. Novak Djokovic, of course, has the Australian Open.
But another player who thrives at Melbourne Park is Stefanos Tsitsipas.
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While Djokovic has produced a stunning run of AO dominance, the Greek is compiling his own impressive numbers at the year’s first Grand Slam event.
Always a safe bet to impress in Melbourne, Tsitsipas once again looks to be among the primary challengers to the world No.1’s bid for a record-extending 11th title.
Following his 6-3 6-0 6-4 win over Luca van Assche in the third round, Tsitsipas now holds a career win-loss record of 60-25 at major tournaments, with a mark of 30-12 on hard courts.
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Most impressively among his major statistics, he is now 24-6 at the Australian Open, surpassing his also-impressive win-loss record of 22-7 at Roland Garros. He has comparatively struggled at both Wimbledon (8-6) and the US Open (6-6).
Tsitsipas’ winning percentage of 80 at the AO is the third-best overall among active players, only trailing modern greats Djokovic (91.8 per cent) and Nadal (82.8 per cent).
Since the start of 2019, only Djokovic (31) has won more men’s singles main-draw AO matches than Tsitsipas (24).
The 25-year-old already has an AO record most players can only dream of, reaching semifinals in 2019, 2021 and 2022 before finishing runner-up to Djokovic in 2023.
Not that Tsitsipas has had it all his own way this year; his victory over Van Assche marked the first time at AO 2024 he was not required to come from behind after losing the first set.
He enjoyed an emphatic return to form on Friday and is now 26-0 at tour-level events on hard courts after winning the first set – a startling statistic for upcoming opponents if they encounter a Tsitsipas intent on making a fast start.
"My team tried, but ultimately it's my decision if I'm going to be fired up or not," Tsitsipas said on court after beating Van Assche.
"I felt like I had a sore start in both [previous] matches and I just wanted something different this time. It's not easy always having to fight back and show your best tennis in the second set.
"I wanted to go out here and show that passionate and determined Stef from the very beginning."
Ahead of AO 2024, Tsitsipas was predicted by Opta to fall out of the ATP top 10 by the end of the tournament, the most common projection being a drop to 11th from his current position of No.7 given he has a crucial 1,200 ranking points to defend this fortnight.
However, Tsitsipas has made an impressive start in the opening week and clearly relishes playing – and impressing – at AO, an event which brings out the best in him. He hit the most winners at AO 2023, with his tally of 298 clear of second-best Djokovic (257).
Tsitsipas is serving well at AO 2024 and has registered 35 aces so far (11.6 per match). This is a continuation of his strong Grand Slam statistics across 2023, when he averaged 10.7 aces and 44.6 winners per match, won 78.2 per cent of his first serve points and converted a healthy 42.6 per cent of his break-point opportunities.
Next up is a fourth-round match with Taylor Fritz. Tsitsipas holds a 3-1 head-to-head advantage over the American, having won their last meeting on a hard court back in the round of 16 at AO 2022.
Fritz – along with compatriot Ben Shelton – is leading the way for first serve points won at the tournament with 98, while he is also top of the charts for break points won (20), with Tsitsipas (16) also ranking highly.
The American represents a tough test, but Tsitsipas clearly feels at ease at Melbourne Park. If he can overcome Fritz, then Djokovic – fresh from a win in his 100th match at Melbourne Park – could well be next.
There could hardly be a bigger test than that.