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via Imago
IMAGE COURTESY-IMAGO
Stefanos Tsitsipas is not ending the year how he started it. During his astounding Australian Open run where he reached the finals of the major, the Greek player has now found himself exiting the US Open in the initial rounds. This is definitely not a good thing for his morale, given that he recently won his first ATP title of the year. Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has found some crucial faults with his gameplay which is hindering his consistency on the court.
The 66-year-old tennis icon recently expressed her views on what Tsitsipas lacks in his gameplay. The Greek tennis player had just found his grit back on the court, but it seems like he will have to renew his morale and gameplay again for the new season.
Martina Navratilova on the things holding Stefanos Tsitsipas back from reaching his peak
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The world no. 7 was not anticipating this unbelievable defeat at the US Open in the early rounds. Tsitsipas had recently won his first ATP title of the year at the Los Cabos Open. However, that did not carry forward to his swing at the US Open.
The Greek tennis player faced a disheartening defeat at the hands of 21-year-old Dominic Stricker in a grueling five-set match. Apart from him, top-seeded player Casper Ruud also faced a second-round defeat at the US Open.
However, for Tsitsipas’ defeat, Martina Navratilova has some reasons. In talks with Sky Sports, she stated, “I just keep going to two things.” The 18-time singles Grand Slam champion wishes Tsitsipas to get more unpredictable gameplay. She stated, “He doesn’t get enough balls into play. He goes for big returns when he is close to the baseline and most of all, his backhand is too predictable.”
![](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/2021-10-13T135239Z_41220169_MT1USATODAY16945853_RTRMADP_3_TENNIS-BNP-PARIBAS-OPEN-DAY-9.jpg?width=150&blur=15)
USA Today via Reuters
Oct 12, 2021; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) hits a shot against Fabio Fognini (ITA) during a third round match in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
She further explained, “He really does not have an offensive backhand down the line. He goes through the middle of the court and guys are reading it.”
Navratilova feels Tsitsipas needs to work on his backhand. She concluded with, “He has got to improve that shot. Technically, he is having real trouble hitting that backhand down the line.”
Tsitsipas himself has bore the responsibility for his loss at the US Open. However, along with that responsibility, he has also announced a major change affecting his career.
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Tsitsipas leaves the tennis realm in shock after a major announcement
After the grueling four-hour match where the unseeded Swiss player reigned in the end, Tsitsipas came out and announced a major change to his team.
The player announced he is parting ways with his recently reinstated coach Mark Philippoussis. This comes as a shock because he has parted ways with him in the past this year and then reinstated him in the second week of August. Once again, he is parting ways with the coach quoting that he was out of rhythm during his second-round match.
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Do you think this indecisive take on his core team is affecting his run on the court? Let us know your views in the comments below.