After suffering a major slump in form, Stefanos Tsitsipas‘ ranking fell to No. 85 in early July. The 27-year-old didn’t receive wildcards from either the National Bank Open or the Cincinnati Masters, which meant that he had no choice but to enter these two tournaments as a qualifier. While Tsitsipas did have to play the qualifiers in Montreal, his fortunes have changed in Cincinnati as he has received a late entry into the main draw due to an unexpected reason.

The 27-year-old Greek found himself back in the Cincinnati Masters after Jannik Sinner withdrew with a right knee issue, opening the door for Tsitsipas’ late entry. And in typical fashion, he mocked himself with a hilarious video on X captioned, “A visual representation of me trying to enter the Cincinnati main draw.”

In the clip, Tsitsipas knocks on a locked practice-room door until Gael Monfils arrives to let him in, which is a playful metaphor for his unexpected entry. The video quickly went viral, sparking fan reactions across social media.

Tsitsipas has played at the Cincinnati Open eight times, with his best coming in 2022, when he reached the final. Since then, however, he’s failed to advance past the third round in three straight editions. Despite that slump, his recent form under new coach Thomas Perrin offers hope. His Gstaad title and coaching change suggest renewed confidence heading into Cincinnati.

Tsitsipas Is Looking to Find His Best Form Under a New Coach

Tsitsipas appointed Perrin just before Wimbledon after parting ways with his father. Djokovic eliminated him in the second round at the 2026 Wimbledon, but the Greek rebounded in Switzerland. At Gstaad, he won five straight matches, including triumphs over Arthur Rinderknech in the quarterfinal and Raphael Collignon in the final to claim his first ATP title in over a year, his 13th overall. His excellent run

While Tsitsipas has shown flashes of brilliance under Perrin, inconsistency remains. He suffered a first-round exit at the Citi Open, where he slumped to a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 defeat to Alex de Minaur. The Greek then entered the Canadian Open and had a strong start.

He first secured his place in the main draw by winning the qualifying match against Keegan Rice. Martin Damm Jr. didn’t prove to be a big challenge either as Tsitsipas raced to the second round following a 6-4, 6-4 win in the round of 128. But Joao Fonseca was just a step too far for the 27-year-old. The young Brazilian triumphed 7-6, 7-5 to knock Tsitsipas out of the tournament.

Cincinnati now offers him another chance to prove whether his self-deprecating humor can be matched by a deep run on court.