Early Life & Background
For a few years, Stefanos Tsitsipas looked like the man most likely to break the Big Three's grip on the Grand Slams. He came within two sets of a Roland Garros title and reached an Australian Open final. Then came the hard part: injuries, a slump and a long fight to rediscover himself. In 2026, at 28, that fight is finally starting to pay off.
Tsitsipas was born on August 12, 1998, in Athens, into a family that lives and breathes tennis. His mother, Julia Apostoli (née Salnikova), was a former world No. 1 junior who played professionally and represented the Soviet Union in the Federation Cup. His father, Apostolos, is a trained tennis coach who became Stefanos's main coach for most of his career. His younger siblings, Petros, Pavlos and Elisavet, all play tennis too.
From 2015 he split his time between Greece and the Mouratoglou Academy in the south of France. As a junior he rose to world No. 1 and won the 2016 Wimbledon boys' doubles title.
Playing Style
Tsitsipas plays an attacking, all-court game that feels a little old-fashioned in the best way. His forehand is his biggest weapon, hit with heavy topspin and huge acceleration, and his serve is reliable and hard to read. He loves to come forward and is one of the better volleyers among the leading men.
His signature shot is the one-handed backhand, graceful and dangerous when he has time. It has also been the shot opponents target most, with high, heavy balls to that wing. Much of the story of his recent seasons is about how he has tried to protect it, including by improving his slice.
Breakthrough and Peak
Tsitsipas announced himself to the world at the 2019 Australian Open, where, at 20, he beat Roger Federer in four sets in the fourth round and went on to reach the semi-finals. Later that season he won the ATP Finals in London, beating Dominic Thiem in the final and becoming the youngest champion of the event since Lleyton Hewitt in 2001.
His best Grand Slam moment came at Roland Garros 2021, where he led Novak Djokovic by two sets to love in the final before Djokovic came back to win in five. It was his first major final and made him the first Greek man to reach one. That August he reached his career-high ranking of No. 3.
He reached a second major final at the 2023 Australian Open, again losing to Djokovic. By then he had become the undisputed king of Monte-Carlo, winning the Masters there in 2021, 2022 and 2024, and he also represented Greece at the Olympics, reaching the quarter-finals in Paris in 2024.
Career Highlights
- 13 ATP singles titles, including the 2019 ATP Finals and three Monte-Carlo Masters titles (2021, 2022, 2024)
- Two Grand Slam finals: Roland Garros 2021 and the Australian Open 2023
- Career-high ranking of No. 3 (August 9, 2021)
- 2019 Australian Open semi-finalist after beating Roger Federer
- Olympic quarter-finalist, Paris 2024
- About US$38.7 million in career prize money
The Difficult Years
After 2023, results became harder to find. Tsitsipas still won Monte-Carlo in 2024 and started 2025 brightly, winning the Dubai title in February with victory over Félix Auger-Aliassime in the final, his first title at ATP 500 level. But the rest of the year was a struggle. He tried working with Goran Ivanišević, a partnership that ended quickly after a disappointing Wimbledon, where he retired in the first round, then went back to his father. Leg and back injuries forced him to withdraw from several autumn events, and he dropped out of the top 20 for the first time since 2018, finishing the season at No. 34.
Tsitsipas in 2026
The start of 2026 was no easier. He lost in the second round of the Australian Open to Tomáš Macháč, and although there were bright spots, such as a quarter-final in Doha where he beat Daniil Medvedev for the first time in four years, the wins were inconsistent. In June he split from his father as coach for the second time, and his ranking slid to a low of No. 88, his first time outside the top 40 in eight years.
Then things began to turn. In July, at the Swiss Open in Gstaad, he won five matches in a row and beat Belgium's Raphael Collignon 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-3 in the final to claim his 13th ATP title, his first trophy in 16 months.
Ahead of the US Open he reunited with Patrick Mouratoglou, who now leads his team, with Thomas Perrin from the Mouratoglou Academy handling day-to-day coaching. The results were immediate. In New York, Tsitsipas beat 10th seed Arthur Fils and 18th seed Jiří Lehečka to reach the fourth round of the US Open for the first time in his career, before losing to eventual finalist Ben Shelton. Mouratoglou pointed to two changes: more positive self-talk during matches and a much better slice backhand, which lets him protect his weaker wing and run around to hit more forehands.
As of mid-September 2026 he was ranked No. 44, well below his peak but back on an upward path. He also continued to represent Greece in the Davis Cup this season.
Off the Court
Tsitsipas is one of the more thoughtful and unusual personalities on tour. He has long shared his travels and reflections through vlogs and social media, often with a philosophical twist, and during his 2026 US Open run he talked about drawing inspiration from ancient Greek philosophy. His relationship with Spanish player Paula Badosa, which became public in 2023, made them one of the most followed couples in tennis.
Legacy & Impact
Tsitsipas has already changed tennis in Greece. Before him, no Greek man had come close to the top of the sport. He became the first to reach a Grand Slam final, the first to win the ATP Finals and one of the few players of his generation to beat the Big Three on big stages. His run of three Monte-Carlo titles puts him among the best clay-courters of his era.
The next chapter is still being written. If his 2026 revival continues, the question will not be whether he belongs among the best, but how close he can get to where he was. If you want to see how quickly a title like Gstaad can move a player up the list, our guide to how ATP ranking points work explains it.
Quick Facts
- Born: August 12, 1998, in Athens, Greece (age 28)
- Country: Greece
- Height: 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
- Plays: Right-handed, one-handed backhand
- Career titles: 13 ATP singles titles (latest: Gstaad 2026)
- Grand Slam best: Finalist, Roland Garros 2021 and Australian Open 2023
- Highest ranking: No. 3 (August 2021)
- Current ranking: No. 44 (September 14, 2026)
- Coaching team (2026): Patrick Mouratoglou, Thomas Perrin