LONDON – Stefanos Tsitsipas has everything he needs to emerge from a difficult period and even win a Grand Slam. So says one of his fiercest rivals, Russian President Daniil Medvedev.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins a Grand Slam one day,” the 2021 US Open champion said when asked CLAY in London after beating Croatian Marin Cilic 6-1, 6-2 and 6-4 at Wimbledon.
“You never know, but definitely, once you’ve been there, you’ll have that ability. When I say one day, it could be in two weeks, a year, five years. He could win or reach the semi-finals, something like that,” said the 23 ATP title winner.
“Stefanos can play, he can hit big shots, big serves, big forehands, big volleys and all that stuff. Of course, we saw that he had some problems with his tennis. But again, I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point he finds something back and just puts in great results in a row,” Medvedev said.
The Russian and the Greek know each other well: they have met 15 times on tour (10-5 in favor of the former world number one) and have developed one of the most bitter rivalries on the circuit in recent years.
The history of tension between the two is varied, with them trading insults on the court, celebrating each other and animatedly appealing to the referee about an opponent’s behavior or actions coming from inside the opponent’s box.
At this year’s third Grand Slam tournament, the world number 87 announced new changes: he parted ways with his father as a coach for the second time and began working with the French Thomas Perrin and Patrick Mouratoglou. The first split occurred in 2024, before Tsitsipas began a highly publicized collaboration with Goran Ivanisevic that ended badly. In an interview with CLAYHorvath sharply criticized the player’s physical condition, and the relationship soon ended amid further public statements: “It is very difficult to be surrounded by dictators and people who speak negatively.”
Tsitsipas returned to work with Apostolos Tsitsipas until the middle of the 2026 season. He explained that his father gives him a sense of comfort that he does not need to regain his level, that they have different goals and that he wants to choose what he thinks is necessary for his career. He stated that this professional rift is permanent.
“I want to start making my own decisions and making decisions on my own. I have other thoughts that I don’t think align with the way we’ve been working lately,” he explained.