Stefanos Tsitsipas is not having a great time on court as the Greek’s form continues its downward spiral, and he is not having the rub of the green either, as he started his grass-court season in Mallorca. Playing against Ignacio Buse, the former World No. 3 lost in straight sets, but more than the loss, it was the Greek player’s frustration that was plainly visible during the match, which boiled over in complaints made over playing conditions.

“What do you mean the point stands? The ball is unplayable! It’s impossible to play with this ball,” Tsitsipas was heard saying to the chair umpire, venting his frustrations about the quality of the balls early in the first set. “At least if we play the point, let’s [re]play the point! This is like softball. There is no chance this is playable”.

At 2-1, with Buse serving, the Greek stopped the point mid-rally and made his complaints to the umpire, even pressing the balls with his own hands to show how soft they were to drive his point home. What further infuriated Tsitsipas was that the point was awarded to his opponent (despite the Greek’s pleas of a replay) after he had stopped it, and, as it was a break point, it could have been the match-turning event.

Losing the break point in the 2-1 game, Tsitsipas still held his own to take the set into a tiebreak, but it was Buse who took the initiative in his aggressive shots, taking it 7-4. Only one break of serve was enough for the Peruvian in the second set, as he won the match 7-6 (4), 6-3. The condition of the ball played its part in Tsitspas’s mind, and, being slightly slow, it robbed the Greek of his grass-court edge.

Tsitsipas’s complaint echoes a broader player grievance about ball quality across tournaments. The current tennis landscape sees different tennis balls used at different tournaments, with even the Slams using different balls to accommodate variations in playing surfaces.

The Dunlop ball used in the Tsitsipas match in Mallorca has come under heavy criticism from other players like Daniil Medvedev, who have pointed out the rapid deterioration the balls undergo, making them slow even on fast hard or grass courts. Compounding matters for the players, Wimbledon uses Slazenger balls under long-term sponsorship agreements, which create a different playing condition altogether.

Whatever the ball speed and condition, Tsitsipas’s form has been a concern over the last two years, with the Greek player now in danger of being out of the World’s Top 100. Yet equipment alone cannot explain Tsitsipas’s deeper crisis: his ranking collapse.

Stefanos Tsitsipas Runs the Danger of Falling Out of the World’s Top 100

With a mere tally of 700 points, Tsitsipas sits at No. 88 in the ATP rankings, a fall that no one could have anticipated even two years ago, when the Greek was still competitive at the biggest events. His loss to Buse in Mallorca is already his 14th of the season, with him having 18 losses last season.

What is more concerning is the way the former World No. 3 lost the match in Mallorca. Tsitsipas never had great stats while playing on grass, but he made his name on clay courts, where his creative one-handed backhand came into play, enabling him to reach a French Open runner-up finish and three Monte-Carlo titles, one of the slowest courts on the calendar. That is why even if one conceded that the ball and conditions were slow in Mallorca, the conditions should have been enough for the Greeks to find a way to win the match against an inexperienced opponent.

The technical flaws of his backhand are now well publicized, making him an ideal target for strong baseliners. Off-court issues, such as a public split with his former coach Goran Ivanisevic and his relationship breakdown with Paula Badosa, have also potentially taken a toll on him.

There is no sign of a resurgence from Tsitsipas, which will worry his fans as the Greek’s rankings plummet with every early exit. Should he not have a deep run at Wimbledon or any of the North-American hard court events, there is a real chance that one of the brightest talents on the ATP Tour will fall outside of the Top 100 on the ATP Rankings.