Stefanos Tsitsipas suffered a defeat at the hands of Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final, but it could be just the start of a breakout year for the Greek. No doubt many of Tsitsipas’ fans will make use of free bet offers provided by leading oddsmakers to to go one further for the French Open considering that he is one of the leading contenders behind Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic for the crown.
Although he lost in straight-sets to Djokovic, there were only a few decisive moments where was he outplayed. The 24-year-old should have plenty of confidence considering that he reached the Australian Open final for the first time. There were occasions when he had Djokovic on the back foot, but was unable to press home his advantage. He is not the first player to fail to convert their chances against Djokovic and certainly will not be the last.
Turning The Page
Tsitsipas will now look to his favorite surface in his bid to claim his first Grand Slam. The Greek has a formidable record on clay, winning 166 of his 222 matches on the surface. He reached the final of the French Open in 2021 and played out a thrilling contest with Djokovic which went the distance, the Serb was clinical when it mattered the most. Tsitsipas underwhelmed at the tournament in 2022, losing out in the fourth round at the hands of Holger Rune in four sets. It was a disappointment to say the least for Tsitsipas, who should have been a contender in the closing stages of the tournament.
He has had time to work on his game and his performances at the Australian Open were testament to his improvement.
Tsitsipas displayed grit against Jannik Sinner in the fourth round of the competition to fend off a comeback from the Italian to advance to the quarter-finals. The draw did land in his favor amid the early departure of Nadal and the absence of Alcaraz, but he still needed to convincingly defeat Jiri Lehecka and Karen Khachanov to set up his contest with Djokovic in the final. If he can produce that level of tennis, he certainly has a great opportunity to progress to the last eight and beyond.
Tough Challenge
The French Open will likely see Nadal and Alcaraz return to the latter stages of the Grand Slam. Nadal is the king of Roland-Garros and will not give up his crown lightly after easing past Casper Ruud last year. Alcaraz loves clay just as much as Nadal and will be an equally tough opponent should Tsitsipas progress to the latter stages. That’s without mentioning Djokovic, who will certainly be in the running too. The Greek had made a lot of progress on the court, but until he beats a top player at Grand Slam, he will not have the confidence to push all the way for the crown.
