It seems like Stefanos Tsitsipas‘ rough patch isn’t coming to an end anytime soon. Following his Dubai Tennis Championships triumph earlier this year, things have only been downhill since. And now, after him taking a straight set defeat at the hands of China’s Yunchaokete Bu (6-3, 6-2), the Greek looks all the more worrisome with the US Open looming closer. Naturally, fans feel like the Paris Olympic quarter-finalist’s form looks shaky, and experts seem to share the same opinion as well.

After a shambolic second-round exit from the French Open in May, Tsitsipas hoped to turn things around by bringing in Goran Ivanisevic, Novak Djokovic’s ex-coach, to his team. However, the seasoned coach soon started publicly criticizing the 2x Grand Slam finalist, and the duo hit rough waters. Now, with his defeat to Bu at the Winston-Salem Open, fans are of the opinion that nothing much has changed for Stefanos including Coco Gauff’s former coach.

Brad Gilbert, best known for being the former coach of some of the best tennis stars of all time, including Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, couldn’t hold back on how bad Stefanos Tsitsipas looked at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex on Tuesday. As one fan took a jibe at the Greek in an X post on August 19, saying, “Best bet in sports right now is betting against Tsitsipas in early round tournaments,” while claiming that only Gilbert can help put the tennis star out of his misery, the tenured coach had to note his views on the matter.

“Really struggling,” Gibert admitted that Tsitsipas isn’t looking at the top of his game right now. Gauff’s former coach went on to highlight how the Chinese star who beat Stefanos at the Winston-Salem Open “came into the tournament with 9-22 record on the year,” further underscoring the 27-year-old’s disappointing recent stats.

What makes the recent loss even more shattering for Tsitsipas’ fans is that he entered the ATP 250 event as the top seed, while Bu is ranked No. 75. With this loss, Stefanos has now dropped from No. 11 at the start of the year to No. 28 this week. Since mid-April, Tsitsipas hasn’t been able to post back-to-back wins, marking just how troubling a situation he’s going through. On the other hand, this was Bu’s first top 50 win of the season, putting him in a place at sharp contrast to the Greek’s.

Furthermore, it’s crucial to note that Tsitsipas hasn’t achieved any significant results in his career at the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year. Looking at how things have been going, it’s only safe to assume that trend is likely to continue this time as well. But form isn’t the only issue that the tennis star needs to address going into the US Open.

The US Open will challenge Stefanos Tsitsipas both on and off the court

One might argue that the main reason behind Tsitsipas’s recent slump has been his atrocious luck with his coaches. Last August, the champion from Athens parted ways with Apostolos, the star’s father, who had been the former’s coach since his childhood days. The call raised a lot of eyebrows for obvious reasons before Stefanos shed light on his decision earlier this year. “I’ve been thinking about this change that I’ve had with my father, who has been with me since the beginning. Obviously, we’ve had a lot of tension along the way. I think it’s completely normal, I wouldn’t think otherwise. He’s been a great support to me and he’s a very emotional person. Some people don’t realize that he’s too emotional a parent to be around,” the Olympian said, on why he had to take a hard stance against his own dad.

However, with the US Open looming overhead, it seems like Tsitsipas wanted his old mentor back on the team once again. In July, after dismissing Ivanisevic from his team, Tsitsipas once again reinstated his father as his head coach. Admitting that his previous decision to fire Apostolos was a wrong one, Stefanos said, “Tensions may arise again, in the sense that I may feel burdened again, but the relationship I have with my father I will not find anywhere else.”

Furthermore, it was widely known that Stefanos and Paula Badosa, the real-life couple, would also team up for this year’s US Open. Tsitsi even noted his excitement about the partnership, saying, “I believe it’s honestly one of the best feelings to be sharing the court with Paula.” However, disaster struck when both exited this year’s Wimbledon early. The disappointing results at the British Slam could be attributed to their mental state, and the couple quietly went their separate ways.

In July, Badosa made the announcement of her decision to pair up with Jack Draper for the US Open Mixed Doubles. Goes without saying, it will be a difficult few days in the Big Apple for Tsitsipas. How do you think Stefanos Tsitsipas will be able to handle the emotional upheaval while also toiling to get better on the tennis court?