Stefanos Tsitsipas surprised the tennis fans after he withdrew in his opening match in Paris when he was 2-4 down against Alexei Popyrin. Unfortunately, the Greek sensation was booed by the crowd after he retired.
Stefanos was clearly struggling with an issue with his right arm. However, he decided not to explain in detail his injury during the press conference that followed his match.
Tsisipas talks about the injury
Later, the world number 3 released a statement explaining what happened to him.
“My body could stand the pain, but my mind could not stand to not compete,” said Stefanos. “Injuries are our best teachers of how much love we have for a sport, and yesterday I had to exit a match due to inflammation in my elbow that I have been dealing with for some time now.
I have been silently competing for a few tournaments now and coping with the injury, but at a certain point, I need to prioritize my health to have longevity in the sport that is very near to my heart.
This is something I haven’t shared yet, but because some people have been wondering why I exited mid-match, this is the reason.”
Tsitsipas will now rest for the following days. He will be back on the occasion of the ATP finals that will be staged in Turin in a couple of weeks.
Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2021
Now the world no.3 (career-high), Tsitsipas played his last match on the 3rd of November when he had to retire when playing against world no.71 Alexei Popyrin in the 2nd round and the scoreline was 4-2 .
Currently, during this year Tsitsipas owns a compiled 55-18 record. Tsitsipas clinched 2 titles in 2021 in Monte-Carlo and in Lyon. Tsitsipas reached the final in Acapulco, in Barcelona and at the French Open.