Maria Sakkari Thinks Stefanos Tsitsipas ‘Deserves’ to Be on Top Alongside Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz: “I Have Full Belief in Him”
Stefanos Tsitsipas has defeated Jannik Sinner thrice but trails 0-6 in the head-to-head matchups with Carlos Alcaraz.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas, Maria Sakkari, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Swiss Tennis, Tennis Channel, Jannik Sinner HQ)
Stefanos Tsitsipas registered his first singles match win in almost four months. On January 2, he went past Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki 6-3, 6-4 in the ongoing United Cup.
Back problems marred his 2025 season. Tsitsipas played his last match of the 2025 season at the US Open, where he suffered a five-set defeat to Daniel Altmaier. He finished the season in the 35th spot on the rankings table with a 22-18 win-loss record.
The 27-year-old lifted just one title- the Dubai Open by defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime. In Grand Slam events this year, the former World No.3 failed to progress beyond the second rounds, reaching the stage at the French Open and the US Open, while at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, he lost in the first rounds.
In Perth, ahead of the United Cup, Tsitsipas’ mixed doubles partner, Maria Sakkari, said that the 12-time ATP titlist deserves to be at the top alongside Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
I’m very, very confident for both of us. If I’m being deadly honest, I feel like Stefanos is one of the best players I’ve ever seen in my life. He deserves to be up there with Jannik and Carlos. I feel like now that he’s healthy, he has a great chance to come back. I have full belief in him.
Maria Sakkari said in the pre-tournament press conference
Tsitsipas trails 3-6 in the head-to-head matchups with Sinner. But the Greek ATP ace lost six matches to the six-time Grand Slam champion.
Sakkari finished the 2025 season with a 25-29 win-loss record and failed to win a title. The former World No.3, also a two-time singles titlist, last lifted a title at the 2023 Guadalajara Open by defeating Caroline Dolehide. At the Australian Open, the three-time Grand Slam finalist reached the title clash in 2023, losing the match to 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
Renzo Furlan thinks Jannik Sinner will do anything to win at Roland Garros
Last year, Jannik Sinner reached his career’s first Roland Garros final, where, despite a 2-0 set lead and three championship points, he ended up losing the match to Carlos Alcaraz. Jasmine Paolini‘s former coach, Renzo Furlan, thinks this year, the four-time Grand Slam champion would do anything to complete the Career Grand Slam at the French Open.
I’m sure we’ll see him fighting tooth and nail at Roland Garros, because it’s the only Grand Slam he’s missing. But he’ll try to give his best everywhere. Winning Rome could also be a goal.
Renzo Furlan told Nord Est
It was the first time Sinner and Alcaraz met in a Grand Slam final. Following the French Open, the World No.1 and the World No.2 faced off in five more events, including at Wimbledon and the US Open. At Wimbledon, the 24-time champion got his revenge with a four-set win but failed to defend his title in New York, losing the match in four sets.
They last faced off in the title clash of the ATP Finals, where Sinner defended his crown with a straight-set win. At the Australian Open this year, Sinner will be bidding to win his third consecutive title. In the previous two seasons, he defeated Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, respectively.
At the Australian Open, the 22-year-old has never progressed beyond the quarterfinals. He made the last eight twice in 2024 and 2025, losing both times in four sets to Zverev and Novak Djokovic, respectively.
Since 2024, only Sinner and Alcaraz have won the Grand Slam titles. Last year, they won a combined 14 trophies from 22 finals.
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