Tsitsipas’ New Racquet

Tsitsipas has been struggling for about months or so, losing a lot of matches that he shouldn't be losing, going out early in a lot of tournaments, especially the important ones. But last month he found his form and many people noticed that he was playing with a blacked-out racket that looked very similar to this racket. Maybe it is this racket that made him win the ATP500 tournament in Dubai.

Tournament Summary

What frustrates me about Tsitsipas is all the criticism that he receives. He gets a lot of hate, especially regarding his backhand, and I think it's very undeserved. It's brutal in the comment section regarding Tsitsipas. After he lost to Medjedovic, a match where Medjedovic was able to beat him after getting hurt, basically on one leg, Tsitsipas was drawn to play Sonego in the first round of Dubai.

Of course, people were predicting that Sonego was going to take him out, but Stefanos played well. He beat Sonego, then in the second round he won a tough match against Khachanov. He then took out Berrettini in the quarters, and then he really turned on the heat and took out Griekspoor, and in the final, he beat Aliassime. In the semifinal and the final, Stefanos played some of the best tennis that we've seen in a long time.

Now the unfair thing regarding Tsitsipas is that last week after he lost to Medjedovic, he was getting so much hate and this week he's being praised. So the criticism that these players are facing on social media is absolutely brutal and it's undeserved because Stefanos is a phenomenal player who's achieved a lot throughout his career.

Backhand Quality

If you look at the shot quality for back hands the only one-handed player in the top is Grigor Dimitrov. So Grigor has the best one-handed backhand in the world and the Tsitsipas one-hander is not quite at that level. He does have some stylistic differences compared to Dimitrov that make his one headed back and a tad more vulnerable. But I want to stress one point, the fact that a player has a one-handed back end in today's game is a disadvantage.

It was even a disadvantage for some of the greatest backhands in tennis history like Dominic Theim and Roger Federer who had to face Nadal with that heavy left-handed forehand topspin. There was not much that they could do better of course towards the end of his career started hitting his backhand a lot better but the fact is that a one-handed back end is tough in today's game if the ball is being hit very heavily to that side.

Tsitsipas, especially when he plays on clay, is possibly in the top three one-handed backends in the world. Now I know that there are not that many but Tsitsipas especially on clay has an excellent one-handed back end but yes if you take a look at the complete package the one-handed backend is the big weakness in the Tsitsipas game.

His dad said that when he was developing his game they focused very heavily on the forehand because they wanted to make it into a very strong weapon which they did. Stefanos has one of the best one two punches in the game, he's got an excellent serve and he's got one of the best forehands in the world. While the one handed backhand is not as bad as people make it out to be, it is his weakest shot no doubt about it.

Slower Conditions

Now the racket that Tsitsipas used this week helped him a lot. In the last couple of months there have been some changes on the ATP Tour and a lot of players were vocal about it. There were a few players inside the top that spoke about how balls and courts have become slower and slower. There is a trend on the ATP Tour that players are going more and more to power rackets. I'm also seeing this trend on the WTA Tour.

I think the days of the Wilson Pro Staff and the Head Prestige are coming to an end and why is that? Because the conditions are being slowed down a lot. Last week when I discussed the Wilson shift and Clash rackets I talked about meddev going to a different techn fiber mid-match because he wanted more power players are for first to go to more powerful rackets and more powerful strength setups because the balls are so dead.

Tsitsipas's improved backhand performance in Dubai can be attributed to his switch to the Babolat Pure Aero with a 16x20 string pattern, a racquet known for its power. This change seemed to make a significant difference. For example, in the semi-final match against Griekspoor, the shot quality on Tsitsipas's backhand was notably high, exceeding the tour average. Throughout the week in Dubai, a hard court tournament, his one-handed backhand was a reliable weapon.

Final Thoughts

This is a positive sign for Tsitsipas, a player whose game and style evoke memories of Bjorn Borg. His presence is valuable to the sport, and many fans hope to see him competing with the likes of Sinner and Alcaraz for major titles. While he is considered one of the best clay-court players, his performance in Dubai demonstrates his capabilities on hard courts as well. This is why I didn't criticize his loss to Medjedovic in Doha; I believed he would find his form, especially leading into the clay season.

His victory at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2024, where he defeated Sinner, and his subsequent finals appearance in Barcelona and quarterfinal showing at the French Open, prove his potential. It was only a matter of time before he rediscovered his top form, and the right racket seems to have played a crucial role. With this newfound confidence, Tsitsipas has the opportunity to achieve strong results in upcoming tournaments and regain his position at the top of the rankings. It will be exciting to see if he can once again reach the pinnacle of the sport.