Tsitsipas: "I wake up every day happy because I feel no pain"

Stefanos Tsitsipas has become one of the standout names of the US Open 2026, both for the brilliance of his advance to the round of 16 and for the unexpected nature of that success when it seemed he had hit rock bottom in his career. In an emotional press conference after defeating Jiri Lehecka, the Greek tennis player shared his feelings.

As incomprehensible as the competitive slump experienced by Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last two years is his meteoric resurrection at the US Open 2026. Just when no one was expecting him, the brilliant tennis of one of those players capable of dazzling the crowd with his talent has emerged strongly, and his overflowing charisma is positive for the sport. 

What lies behind this return to his roots? Patrick Mouratoglou seems to have found the key, but the Greek analyzes other factors, such as the improvement of his back problems, finding the right racket, and the lack of expectations, both personal and external, which allows him to play without pressure at Flushing Meadows.

This is what Tsitsipas said after reaching the round of 16 at the US Open 2026

Tsitsipas's assessment of his victory over Lehecka

"It was not the best start for such an important match. I was not happy at all with the way the match started or how far back I found myself at the beginning. I really had to accept it because a match can always evolve, it can change and it can turn in a different direction. Momentum has its waves and comes in surges."

"I was simply waiting to see if something could change during the match. He started as if he were on fire and wasn't giving me much rhythm. Eventually, I felt that some adjustments and small changes I made in my game allowed me to impose myself a bit more and stay in the set."

"It wasn't so much about starting to win as it was about staying in the set and not losing my serve. Once I figured that out, it became a battle to see who would break first. I did an exceptional job in the second and fourth sets."

Less pressure, more confidence for Tsitsipas

"When you are very high in the rankings and are a seed in a tournament like this, and not just any seed but one of the top favorites in a Grand Slam, the feeling when you step onto the court is a bit different."

"I don't feel like I have too many things to worry about. I'm just playing and enjoying. If things are going well, they are going well."

"In my mind, I also try to accept this old Greek philosophy of preparing for the worst-case scenario before stepping onto the battlefield, before entering this war zone, so to speak. I have already realized that there can be really bad scenarios."

"It's not always going to be ideal in the way I would like, so approaching a match with that mindset allows me to see what I'm doing out there in a slightly different way than usual."

"Previously, I would say that too much optimism and too much confidence can also end up ruining your game. I have learned this in different ways throughout my career."

The ordeal of last year with his back

"I couldn't generate much momentum leading into tournaments. If I started to gain some momentum during a tournament, my back would start to hurt. It was a very strange year with many ups and downs, because there wasn't much consistency in what was happening throughout the season."

"I played in Australia with back pain. I remember that during the clay season things stabilized, and somehow I started to feel a bit better, until I had to play against Fils in one of the quarter-finals in Barcelona."

"Then my back returned, and that created a lot of uncertainty. When worry is present every day, it kills you. I stopped enjoying practice because my body hurt."

"When you get to a match, your first concern is: 'Am I going to be able to finish it?' That is the main concern. It wasn’t even a question before. Why would you give up a match because of pain?"

"I felt like I was dealing with many different battles, both internal and physical. There were many things popping up here and there. That generates chaos within you and a lot of frustration. But I think I accepted it quite well. I was able to accept it. If things don’t go well, I know I’ll have another avenue."

"This may not have been the best season I’ve had, but at least I wake up every day happy not to be in pain and I know I can go practice without the uncertainty of how my body will respond."

Tsitsipas explains his new racket change

Tsitsipas has tried many different racket models recently, largely motivated by his back problems. He sought a racket that would give him more power and spin on his shots, but he lost the feel, so he has returned to a version he knows well, which is the Wilson Blade V7.

"Obviously, I've gone through racket changes. I have to admit that it also had a lot to do with my body. I'm talking about my lower back, which was affected at that time. I feel that throughout my career, I have had to use my body a lot to play."

"By this, I mean that I had a very condensed pattern in which you really had to use your body more to gain free power, and you had to work a lot harder on your strokes. I was looking for a bit more power from my previous setup, which I tried for a while."

"It didn't seem like, over time, it really met my needs in terms of what I was looking for. Yes, it gave me more power, more spin, and all those things, and overall it was easier to use, but my identity is more linear and my game is also more linear."

"I was looking for something that felt like home. And what feels like home is the version I'm using now. It's the one I used when I was a kid and the one I know best. I am a player who needs control in my game. I want to have control in my game, and I know that the Blade is the best product out there to allow me to have control and spin when I need it."

"I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a power racket, but it maintains those classic gameplay traits and the modern aspects of today’s tennis and mixes them to allow me to play the way I play."

"And for the one-handed backhand, I feel it's one of the best rackets available on the market."

Stefanos Tsitsipas has many reasons to be proud of what he is doing at this US Open 2026, but especially for maintaining the same determination in pursuit of continuing to surprise friends and strangers alike. His next opponent will come from the match between Shelton and Shapovalov, in what promises to be a great battle.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Tsitsipas: "Me despierto cada día feliz porque no siento dolor"