The 2024 US Open hasn’t gone according to plan for Stefanos Tsitsipas. As if the first-round loss in singles wasn’t enough, the Greek tennis star had a disappointing defeat in his mixed doubles tie with his girlfriend, Paula Badosa. The duo went down tamely in straight sets against the Mexican pairing of Santiago Gonzalez and Giuliana Olmos 7-6 (3), 6-4. The defeat got even worse after Tsitsipas was involved in an unfortunate incident, which caught the eyes of not only his girlfriend but also the tennis world.

During the first-set tiebreaker, Tsitsipas mistimed an easy backhand return on Gonzalez’s serve. He hit the ball long when the Greek-Spanish duo were trailing 5-3 in the tiebreaker. The mistake proved to be costly, handing their opponents set points. This set the temperature soaring on the court, with Tsitsipas losing his cool and smashing his racket to the ground. Apparently, while Tsitsipas did so, Badosa was looking at the other end of the court and she was taken by surprise after hearing the sound of the racket hitting the court. A visibly scared Badosa watched Tsitsipas proceed to the kit bag to change his racket.

The mixed doubles was Tsitsipas’ final chance to achieve glory at this year’s US Open. But it wasn’t to be, as the power couple went down in the first round of the tournament. Earlier, he bowed out of the singles competition after losing against Thanasi Kokkinakis in the opening round.

It was an unexpected loss for the Greek star and he was still reeling from his singles defeat during his mixed doubles encounter. After bowing out of the singles competition, Tsitsipas made a brutal assessment of himself.

Stefanos Tsitsipas on his downfall: ‘I’m nothing compared to the player I was before’

The 26-year-old has had a poor 2024 season where he failed to reach the semifinals in either of the 4 Grand Slam tournaments. Additionally, he has had an inconsistent run of form coupled with early exits from the tournaments. After his peak in 2021, when he reached the final of the French Open along with some big wins on the ATP Tour, it has been a constant downfall for Tsitsipas.

As a result, he made a brutal confession about himself, saying, “I’m nothing compared to the player I was before. I remember myself playing when I was younger, playing with adrenaline on the court, feeling like my life depends on the match… These things, I feel like they have faded off, and let’s say my level of consistency hasn’t been as big.”

While Tsitsipas’ campaign at the US Open is done and dusted, Badosa is still active in the singles. She is in the fourth round and will take on Wang Yafan. Can Badosa go deep in the US Open? Let us know your views in the comments below.

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