Why must one-handed backhands torment each other! Tsitsipas has suffered five consecutive losses against fellow one-handed backhand players.

Speaking of Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas, many fans are familiar with him. This post-95s generation player has twice reached Grand Slam finals, won the ATP Finals championship, and is one of the few one-handed backhand players in professional tennis today. However, since last season, facing opponents who also use a one-handed backhand, Tsitsipas has encountered a five-match losing streak. So, in which matches did he lose to these one-handed backhand players? Today, let this article take you through the details.

In April 2025, Tsitsipas, who had just won his first ATP 500 title, entered the Monte Carlo Masters as the sixth seed and received a first-round bye. Subsequently, he defeated Australian player Jordan Thompson and Portuguese player Nuno Borges to advance to the round of 16.

In the quarterfinals, his opponent was Italian player Lorenzo Musetti. Although Musetti had reached a Grand Slam semifinal before, Tsitsipas still held some psychological advantage having beaten him five times previously. Indeed, Tsitsipas took the first set 6:1. However, the match then shifted dramatically; Musetti won the next two sets 6:3, 6:4, reversing the outcome and defeating Tsitsipas. After this loss, Tsitsipas’ world ranking fell outside the Top 15. Notably, Musetti is also a one-handed backhand player. Perhaps even Tsitsipas himself did not anticipate at that time that this was just the beginning of his losses to one-handed backhand opponents.

Not long after, the two met again in the third round of the Madrid Masters. This time, Musetti again emerged victorious. The difference was that Musetti won in straight sets. Perhaps having overcome his own five-match losing streak, Musetti was able to advance strongly thereafter, reaching his first clay-court Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open.

By late July, due to poor results, Tsitsipas’ world ranking had dropped to No. 30, yet he still entered the Rogers Cup as a seeded player. In the second round, against Australian player Christopher O’Connell, despite losing the first set and dragging the match into a deciding set, Tsitsipas ultimately lost in the final set. O’Connell is also a one-handed backhand player. This marked Tsitsipas’ first opening-round exit at a Masters event in the 2025 season.

At the end of August, after Tsitsipas reversed French player Alexandre Müller in the first round of the US Open, he faced German player Daniel Altmaier in the second round. In this battle, the two fought fiercely into a deciding set before a winner emerged; Altmaier, who also uses a one-handed backhand, came out on top. This was Altmaier’s first entry into the US Open third round since joining the ATP professional tour.

This week, at the Indian Wells Masters first round, Tsitsipas faced former Wimbledon semifinalist Canadian player Denis Shapovalov. Despite taking the first set, he was reversed by his opponent, and Shapovalov is also a one-handed backhand player. Thus, within less than a year, Tsitsipas has suffered a five-match losing streak against one-handed backhand players. Currently, his world ranking has fallen to No. 50.

From Musetti, to O’Connell, Altmaier, and Shapovalov. In under a year, Tsitsipas has lost all five matches against one-handed backhand opponents. Once a Finals champion and Grand Slam runner-up, his ranking has now dropped to 50th. Both using the one-handed backhand, blending elegance and power, it seems that the same type can best counter the same type. When will this Greek talent break free from this “one-handed backhand curse”? That’s today’s tennis story; we’ll continue tomorrow.Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin居士