Stefanos Tsitsipas is about to start his campaign in Monte Carlo, where Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are going to be the hot favorites to win the title.
The Greek sensation had an interesting 2021 so far. Even if Stefanos has an attractive 17-5 win-loss record this year, he hasn’t managed to win any tournament so far. Tsitsipas reached the final in Acapulco, where is lost in two sets to Sascha Zverev even if he was in complete control of the match at the least in the first set.
Back to the Australian Open, Stefanos had the fantastic win over Rafael Nadal after he lost the first 2 sets. However, he had no answers in the semi-final against Daniil Medvedev when he lost in straight sets.
Tsitsipas also had a disappointing run at the Miami Open where there was the notable absence of the Big3 and Dominic Thiem. Stefanos lost as early as in the quarters to Hubert Hurkacz 2-6 6-3 6-4.
The clay-court season
Stefanos Tsitsipas is looking forward to having a much better run during the clay-court season. However, she has to overcome two big hurdles: Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Rafael Nadal is the uncontested the King of Clay, and his game is particularly difficult for Stefanos to deal with, especially on the dirt. The head-to-head record between Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas is 6-2 for the Spanish legend with a winning record of 2-1 on clay against the Greek. Therefore, Stefanos has managed to win one match against Nadal on clay, but that was at the Madrid Open, where the conditions are extremely fast. Nadal seems to have still a strong upper hand against Tsitsipas on clay, especially when the conditions are pretty slow like the ones in Monte Carlo, Rome, and the French Open.
Even if Stefanos has an even worst record on clay against Novak Djokovic (0-2), it seems as the world number 5 may have better chances against the Serbian legend. Stefanos lost to Djokovic in the 2019 final of the Madrid Open. Also, he was defeated by the world number 1 during the last French Open in the semi-final in 5 sets. However, on that occasion, Stefanos lost in the decider after he got injured and it seemed as he had all the opportunities to beat Djokovic on that occasion.
Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo
Tsitsipas does not have a fantastic record in Monte Carlo. He played in the Principality twice in 2018 and 2019. In 2018 he lost in the second round to David Goffin; in 2019, he lost to Daniil Medvedev in the third round. He will look forward to having a much better run this year.
Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2021
Ranked world no.5 (career-high), the Greek played his last match on the 1st of April when he lost to world no.16 Hubert Hurkacz 2-6 6-3 6-4 in the quarter in Miami (draw).
Currently, during this year Stefanos has achieved an overall 17-5 win-loss record. Stefanos Tsitsipas’s best result of the year was getting to the final in Acapulco.
Rafael Nadal in 2021
Ranked no.3, Nadal played his last match on the 17th of February when he was overcome by world no.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6 2-6 7-6(4) 6-4 7-5 in the quarter of the Australian Open (draw).
Currently, during this season the Spaniard owns a composed 4-1 record.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Rafael Nadal clashed against each other 8 times. Their head to head is 6-2 for Nadal. Previously, the last time when they squared off, Stefanos Tsitsipas won 3-6 2-6 7-6(4) 6-4 7-5 in the quarter in Melbourne (Australian Open) on the 17th of February 2021.
You can watch the highlights in the following video.
Novak Djokovic in 2021
Ranked world no.1, Djokovic played his last match on the 21st of February when he beat world no.2 Daniil Medvedev 7-5 6-2 6-2 in the final of the Australian Open to win his 82nd career title.
During this season Novak has a 9-0 win-loss record. Djokovic conquered 1 title at the Australian Open.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic |
| Embed from Getty Images |
