Tsitsipas's main problem is not just his racket
Despite the change of racket, which has brought him new things, Stefanos' main problem lies elsewhere. Something he must solve quickly.
Stefanos Tsitsipas left Indian Wells last night with a defeat that once again exposed his major weakness in his game: his backhand. Despite gaining confidence in recent weeks with the racquet change, the Greek has a significant handicap when facing top players, as everyone knows, exploits, and attacks his weak spot on the backhand side, which no new racquet will completely fix.
It is worth noting that Tsitsipas decided to try changes in his tennis after several years stuck in the same place. In a few months, he took the step to change his coach and start trying new things with his racquet. The current tennis, where balls are hardly hit out if you don't generate the power with your forearm, and the fact that they are tremendously slow has affected his game, hence seeking alternatives to keep up with the leading pack.
His new Babolat racquet (though still with the frame painted due to his contract with Wilson) has provided him with the extra power he needed. If we look at the numbers from 2024 compared to now, after the racquet change, the Greek hits about 6km/h more powerful on the forehand and 4km/h more on average on the backhand side. Now, he hits almost 200 rpm less on the backhand down the line and about 30 on the cross-court. That is, he generates more power, more ball speed, is more aggressive, and seeks less spin.
This has allowed him to win in Dubai a couple of weeks ago and have one of the best backhands in his career on a given day, completing the match against Griekspoor with an average rating of 9.8. Absolutely outstanding. But of course, one grain of sand doesn't make a beach, and beyond whether one week he finds himself in conditions that better suit his tennis or facing opponents with a more favorable type of ball for him, the issue with his backhand side persists on the circuit. Rune fully exploited it yesterday.
The Dane, in his match last night in Indian Wells, blatantly targeted Stefanos' backhand side time and time again. Especially on key points. Both on serve and during rallies, with the point at stake. Rune repeatedly aimed at Tsitsipas' backhand side, causing the Greek to either make mistakes or play a backhand in an uncomfortable zone for him. The result was clear: victory in two sets.
The main problem for Tsitsipas
Against the Top players, such as Rune himself, as well as Alcaraz, Sinner, or Djokovic, among others, the Greek will always have a handicap, which is his lack of resources and variety when it comes to hitting the backhand. Rafa Nadal mentioned in an interview with Roddick this past Tuesday that Federer made mistakes at the beginning of his career trying to hit the backhand with topspin when Nadal played the cross-court forehand there. It wasn't until 2017 that the Swiss understood the necessary change: hitting the backhand with the ball rising and being more aggressive, hitting flatter.
Beyond the changes in the racquet, which have boosted his mental confidence, making him more offensive, as well as providing extra power in his shots, Tsitsipas must devote many hours of training to the backhand side for it to cease being the liability it currently is when facing the world's best. No racquet can solve this problem. This requires hours and hours of training and a coach to assist him through the process.
It's not just about how to hit the backhand during points; his backhand return is another big weakness Tsitsipas has. Even though, with his new racquet, he now blocks fewer serves and opts to be more aggressive, he still needs to figure out how to return on this side so that his opponents do not always find the safe shot to this area to hurt him and take the point.
The writer is convinced that Tsitsipas will one day figure out how to solve this issue and will manage to defeat Rune and Alcaraz at least once in his career. He is still young to be counted out. He will only need time to accomplish this, and his attitude towards it will determine whether it will take a lot or a little time. We'll see if it won't be too late then to consider Stefanos again as a potential Grand Slam winner.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El principal problema de Tsitsipas no es solo su raqueta