Stefanos Tsitsipas began the year outside the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time in six years. All he now wants is to “reinvent” himself in 2025, and he couldn’t have asked for a better platform to do that! Recently, during his pre-match interview at the 2025 AO, the Greeks said, “It’s the home Grand Slam for Greek fans; of course, here in Melbourne, we have a large community. This makes a difference in terms of spectacle and court feelings.”

Can this incredible support on the ‘Land Down Under’ help Tsitsipas make a winning start to his campaign against the American youngster, Alex Michelsen at the 2025 AO?

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Alex Michelsen: Preview

Although Stefanos Tsitsipas won a title last season by defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters, he failed to deliver on most do-or-die situations in 2024. For example, shortly after his heroics in Monte Carlo, he reached the final at the Barcelona Open but over there he was defeated by the same opponent in two sets. Apart from that, he also reached the SF in Los Cabos and the Swiss Open last year. Stefanos Tsitsipas started the 2025 season with one win and one loss at the United Cup. Can he come up with a better performance in Melbourne?

On the other hand, Alex Michelsen made quite a few long runs last season. However, his best results came at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships and the Winston-Salem Open. He reached the finals in both these tournaments, but he failed to win the titles. Michelsen ended the year by reaching the SF of the Moselle Open and the Next Gen ATP Finals. In 2025, he has already made an R16 run at the Brisbane International and also reached the QF at the ASB Classic. However, in Auckland, he was defeated by his compatriot, Nishesh Basavareddy by 6-2,2-6,4-6. What’ll be the scoreline in the first match of his third tournament in 2025?

Tsitsipas vs. Michelsen: Head-to-Head

Stefanos Tsitsipas has met this 20-year-old American only once in his career so far. Interestingly, Alex Michelsen won that match! So, currently, their H2H record is in favor of the American by a 1-0 margin.

• 2024 Tokyo R32: Michelsen 4-6,6-1,6-2.

Prediction: Tsitsipas to win this match in straight sets

Despite having an edge in the H2H record, we’re keeping the Greek ahead in this enticing encounter! Reason? Well, Stefanos Tsitsipas’ experience of playing in this big event may come in handy against the relatively inexperienced American. Tsitsipas even reached the final of the AO in 2023, but he was defeated by Novak Djokovic in a three-set thriller. Last year he reached the fourth round in this tournament, whereas Michelsen could only make it to the third round. 

If we take a look at their overall record in the 2024 season, Stefanos Tsitsipas (12) had a win-loss record of 43-22, whereas, Alex Michelsen (42) had a record of 35-31. Considering all these factors, we feel, the Greeks may get an edge in this contest.

Now if we take a look at their playing styles, Alex Michelsen can be a very tricky opponent at times. His strong two-handed backhand, along with an equally effective and powerful forehand can be really effective on this surface. This young American loves coming to the net and finishing off the points. Apart from that, Alex Michelsen is also a very good server, especially on the first surface, but are these enough to beat someone like Stefanos Tsitsipas?

Well, we take a look at Tsitsipas’ playing style, he’s basically an aggressive baseliner who loves hitting powerful groundstroke winners and has a particularly strong forehand. He also has a big serve in his armory, which can put Michelsen into some real trouble in this match. Stefanos Tsitsipas often uses his high topspin rate to push his opponents off the court. His signature shot is his one-handed backhand. However, his biggest weak point is his high percentage of unforced errors while trying to hit winners. Is it enough to put him as the second-best in this battle? Not, really!