After a tightly contested win against Botic van de Zandschulp in the Round of 16, Stefanos Tsitsipas booked his spot in the quarterfinals of the Swiss Indoors. And with that 7-6, 7-5 win, he strengthened his chances of qualifying for his sixth consecutive ATP Finals. But a day later, it’s looking increasingly likely that it wasn’t meant to be for the Greek.

Coming into his quarterfinal encounter against an in-form Arthur Fils, Tsitsipas was 12th in the Live Race to Turin. Considering only 8 players qualify for the year-end tournament, and 8th-placed Andrey Rublev was 745 points clear of the Greek, clinching the winner’s trophy in Basel would’ve been ideal. But despite his impressive 7-2 record at the venue, he couldn’t get past Fils to continue his bid for 500 points.

As a result of the 6-7, 3-6 loss to the Frenchman, Stefanos Tsitsipas remained in 12th place with 2975 points. Fortunately for him, Rublev lost his quarterfinal match against Ben Shelton, which prevented the Russian from gaining more ground on Tsitsipas and the other players chasing him. Even so, the Greek’s loss put a dent in his chances of making it to Turin, hoping for a second ATP Finals title (his first came in 2019 when he made his debut).

Amid this setback, his girlfriend, Paula Badosa, boosted his spirits. The Spanish professional ended her season following the Ningbo Open, where she reached the semifinals. Going up against Daria Kasatkina, Badosa went down a set and took a medical timeout. But following that, she retired from the match. Shortly after, she announced, “I won’t be able to play Tokyo, unfortunately. My 2024 season has ended.” But instead of flying back home, she went from China to Switzerland.

She arrived in Basel before Stefanos Tsitsipas’ first match against Francisco Cerundolo, which he won 6-3, 6-7, 7-6. But two matches later, as her boyfriend’s Swiss Indoors campaign came to an end, Badosa took Tsitsipas for an outing, sharing a couple of adorable glimpses on her Instagram story. Despite the tough loss, it seemed like Badosa managed to help improve Stefanos’ mood, seeing as the 26-year-old finally cracked a smile when his girlfriend blew him a kiss.

‘Tsitsidosa’ is one of the most adorable couples in the tennis world, and ever since they got together (then broke up, and then got back together again), they’ve supported each other through their highs and lows. While one is down and out, the other makes sure to lift the mood up. On this occasion, it was Paula Badosa who arranged an outing with Tsitsipas as they explored the scenic city of Basel together.

That said, there’s no question that Stefanos Tsitsipas is still locked in on making a trip to Turin in November. He may be sitting in 12th in the Live Race, but with the Paris Masters up next, he could potentially add 1000 points to his tally. To put things into perspective, here’s the Live Race table: –

Note: Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and Daniil Medvedev have already qualified. 

For Tsitsipas to qualify, though, he’ll have to ensure a good run in Paris, preferably going deeper into the tournament compared to the four players ahead of him in the race. If that doesn’t happen, it’s more than likely that the Greek player’s season will come to an end in the French capital. That said, the year-end tournament sure means a lot to Tsitsipas. At least, that’s what we can make of his comments about why it’s one of the most crucial tournaments in the sport.

Stefanos Tsitsipas on the ATP Finals: “Bigger thing than a Slam”

While a Grand Slam may be the ultimate prize for many in tennis, for Tsitsipas, the year-end championship holds much greater value. Fun fact: Did you know that despite having 22 Grand Slam titles to his name, Rafael Nadal has never won the ATP Tour Finals? As for Tsitsipas, interestingly, the Greek star has never won a Grand Slam but has managed to lift the ATP Finals title once. He made a massive comparison between the two events.

Tsitsipas said, “It’s a whole celebration. The ATP Finals is a commemoration and celebration of the best of the best in our sport. We all gather together and we get to play against each other and focus on the fact that we are the best in the world trying to fight for this mega trophy, which is a grand prize in our sport. It means a lot. I would consider it probably a bigger thing than a Slam, honestly. It has big prestige and it’s a very valuable asset if you’re able to conquer and win it.”

However, Tsitsipas’ qualification for this year’s tournament has been left in limbo after his quarterfinal exit in Basel. As mentioned earlier, he currently sits on the 12th spot in the Race to Turin chart, with only the top 8 qualifying. Thus, he’ll have to produce some magic at the upcoming Paris Masters if he is to qualify for the ATP Finals.