Jim Courier Pinpoints Weaknesses in Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Tennis: “The Game is Moving Past Him”
Stefanos Tsitsipas will be hoping to make a deep run at the Madrid Open, where he finished as the runner-up back in 2019.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas; In circle- Jim Courier (Image via Tennis Temple, X/Game, Set & Talk)
- Stefanos Tsitsipas won his first two matches at the Madrid Open, defeating Patrick Kypson and Alexander Bublik.
- Jim Courier highlighted Tsitsipas' weaknesses, urging him to improve his game to keep up with evolving tennis standards.
- Tsitsipas is currently ranked No. 80, a significant drop from his previous position as World No. 3.
Has Stefanos Tsitsipas finally rediscovered his lost form? From his performance in the ongoing Madrid Open, it seems he has started gaining his form back, given that he came from a set down to secure a hard-fought battle against Patrick Kypson 3-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(4) in the first round.
And later in the second round, he faced eighth seed Alexander Bublik. The Kazakh ace was the favorite to win since he has been enjoying decent form since the 2025 season.
But the match did not end in his favor, with Tsitsipas clinching the win with a scoreline of 6-2, 7-5. While commenting during the match on Tennis Channel, Jim Courier pointed out the weaknesses in Tsitsipas’ game and also urged him to continue to improve his tennis so that he’s not left behind.
For too long, the weaknesses in his game have remained. His slice backhand is inadequate. His backhand return, inadequate. His inability on other surfaces to recognize that he should be standing back to hit second serve returns so he can hit more forehands, that’s a failure. He has not recognized that the game is moving past him and that he needs to continue to improve what shouldn’t be that difficult to improve from where I’m sitting.
This is the third time Tsitsipas has won two matches in a row after the Qatar Open and the Miami Open. It was also his fourth top 20 win since 2024. The win helped him improve his head-to-head record over Bublik to 3-0. He will next be locking horns with qualifier Daniel Merida Aguilar, who beat Corentin Moutet in the previous round.
Stefanos Tsitsipas opens up about his new girlfriend, Kristen Thoms
After his first-round victory, Stefanos Tsitsipas talked about his new girlfriend Kristen Thoms, whom he has been dating since late 2025 after his split with WTA ace Paula Badosa. In a recent interview, Tsitsipas said he prefers dating a non-tennis girlfriend because “there’s always competition“.
Thoms also played tennis, but at the collegiate level at Florida Atlantic University. After his first-round win in Madrid, Tsitsipas spoke about Thoms in his interview with BB Tennis, saying they are trying to spend a lot of time together and create memories amid the demanding nature of tennis.
She’s super cute. I love seeing her face in difficult moments. She’s the person I’m always seeking out for in difficult match moments. She’s been there for me for a very long time. I feel like she knows about tennis, and that’s what makes her special to be on the court. She’s played tennis herself, knows the psychology of tennis… She’s been a great support so far in my tennis journey, in my matches. I have had her last week, too.
Tsitsipas last won a title at the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships by defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime. The 27-year-old, once a World No.3, now stands in the No. 80th spot in the rankings table. He is a former finalist in Madrid, reaching the stage in 2019. Last year, he suffered a third-round exit. The last time he reached a quarterfinal here was in 2023.
Tsitsipas has so far clinched three Masters 1000 titles, all three at the Monte-Carlo Masters. He beat Andrey Rublev in 2021, then defended his title by beating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina the following year.
Tsitsipas failed to complete the three-peat in 2023 as he exited in the quarterfinals. But in 2024, he went past Casper Ruud. This year in Monte Carlo, the two-time Grand Slam finalist suffered a first-round exit. Before arriving in Madrid, Tsitsipas lost to Fabian Marozsan in the first round of the Barcelona Open.
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