Tsitsipas spoke about the journey back in a post-match press conference at the Mutua Madrid Open last month:
“When I was injured I lost passion and love for the game,” he admitted after defeating Daniel Merida to reach the fourth round—his best result of the clay swing.
“I kept showing up though. Despite my injury in the back, I kept showing up on court and trying to make the most out of it. It’s frustrating when you’re always injured and you’re always feeling hurt. It doesn’t make you love the game too much.
“I can finally kind of say that, going back into the court now, it feels a really joyful thing to do. Like, there isn’t much of stress whether I’m going to be fit enough because of my back.”
Roland Garros has been the major tournament where Tsitsipas has posted his most consistent results, reaching the semifinals in 2020 in addition to back-to-back quarterfinals in 2023 and 2024. His most recent campaign on the terre battue ended in the second round against Italian qualifier Matteo Gigante.
