Skip to content
BNP Paribas Open
  • Tickets
  • Visit
  • Scores & Schedules
  • News
Get tickets

Indian Wells, California

March 6 - 19, 2023

Get tickets
  • Tickets & Packages Toggle
    • Series Packages
    • Mini Packages
    • Travel Packages
    • Group Packages
    • Luxury Suites
    • My Tickets Account
  • News
  • Players
  • Scores, Draws, & Schedules Toggle
    • Order of Play
    • Results
    • Draws
    • Printable
  • Tournament Toggle
    • Competition Schedule
    • How to Watch
    • Venue ↗
    • History
    • Past Champions
    • Sustainability
  • Plan Your Visit Toggle
    • Dining
    • Shopping
    • On-Site Activities
    • Transportation/Parking
    • Official Event Mobile App
    • FAQS
  • Tennis Events Toggle
    • The Eisenhower Cup Presented by Masimo
    • FILA Junior Championships
    • UTR Dingles Championships
    • UTR College Match
  • Health and Safety
  • Get Involved Toggle
    • Volunteers
    • Ball Crew
    • Employment Opportunities
  • Partnerships Toggle
    • Partners
    • Partnership Opportunities
  • 2024 BNP Paribas Open
  • Contact
BNP Paribas Open Insider News
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
ATP, Features

Stefanos Tsitsipas:
‘I Was in a Very Bad Place’

by Richard Osborn
03/11/2022

There was plenty for Stefanos Tsitsipas to feel good about in 2021.

The Athenian captured his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Monte Carlo, reached his first major final at Roland Garros, went 55-19, and climbed to a career-high No. 3. But few knew that, after a right elbow injury forced him out of the Paris Masters and the year-end ATP Finals, he was at perhaps the lowest point of his career; so low, in fact, that he considered walking away from the sport for good.

“I went through a period of a lot of stress, a period where I didn’t enjoy playing tennis anymore because the pain was so big and so intense,” said Tsitsipas, who went under the knife in November. “I wasn’t able to enjoy the game that I love the most. I remember being at the ATP Finals a few days before the surgery and I was thinking of quitting. I didn’t think back then that anyone would be able to help me heal and get back to where I wanted. It was a very difficult moment that I had to go through. I was in a very bad place.”

Get Tickets
See Stefanos Live
Buy tickets

His doctors initially targeted a spring 2022 return, with the Greek star back on the court in time to defend his points on the European clay. But Tsitsipas bucked the prognosis, healing up far faster than anyone expected. In fact, he bounced in time to kick off the new year at the ATP Cup and the Australian Open, where he played his way into the semifinals. Last month, he pushed through to the Rotterdam final (l. to Felix Auguer-Aliassime, 6-4, 6-2).

“It was not normal, not normal at all,” said Tsitsipas on Wednesday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. “It was kind of a miracle, in a way. The fact that I was able to go deep in the Australian Open was the best thing that has happened in my career so far in regards of a comeback, after such a difficult injury that I suffered with for many years.”

Monday, March 7, 2022 – Stefanos Tsitsipas practices during qualifying at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California. (Jared Wickerham/BNP Paribas Open)

The 23-year-old hopes to leave those dark thoughts behind for good in 2022.

“I wasn’t able to stay motivated because I didn’t believe in myself,” he confided. “I wasn’t able to be where I wanted to be. My body was stopping me from going there. It was very sad to feel helpless, in a way. I felt weak and I felt unable to reach new heights. I want to feel consistent, and I want to feel good about myself this year.”

A title run at the BNP Paribas Open would do wonders to make that happen. Last year, Tsitsipas reached the quarterfinals here for the first time (l. to eventual runner-up Nikoloz Basilashvili, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4). Taking the trophy in 2022 might be just the confidence boost he needs.

Said Tsitsipas, “It could give me a massive amount of confidence to win Grand Slam titles if I pull that off.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas practices during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Friday March 4, 2022 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/BNP Paribas Open)
Stefanos Tsitsipas
  • Share it with facebook
  • Share it with twitter
  • Share it with email

Post navigation

PreviousTop Seeds in Action: Medvedev, Nadal, Tsitsipas Swing Into Saturday
NextThree to See on Saturday: Osaka, Badosa and Next Gen Popcorn
  • bnp logo
  • penn logo
  • fila logo
  • IW logo
  • emirates logo
  • Media
  • Contact
  • Partnerships
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy
  • California Privacy Rights
© 2023 BNP Paribas Open a Desert Champions LLC Event
Close
Get the latest updates
Get the latest updates from Tennis Paradise
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Subscribe