Stefanos Tsitsipas Slams ATP for Forcing Players to ‘Work More’ Without Increasing Prize Money: “Schedule Creates Fatigue and Injury”
Two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas has yet to make a deep run in a tournament this year.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas (Image via X/ESPN)
- Stefanos Tsitsipas criticizes the ATP for increasing player workload without raising prize money.
- He claims the current schedule contributes to player fatigue and injuries.
- Tsitsipas has struggled with injuries and early tournament exits in recent competitions.
Stefanos Tsitsipas will be back in action on Tuesday (February 17). He will be up against Moez Echargui in the first round of the Qatar Open.
He recently sat for an interview with the What’s the Call? podcast during which Tsitsipas accused the ATP of causing injuries to players by forcing them to keep playing even while nursing a niggle. Tsitsipas also said the ATP promised the players that they would be increasing the prize money, but have yet to act on their promise.
The most frustrating part about this is, okay, you’re making us work more, which is fine. Make us work more, but at least increase prize money. I got promised back in the day when I had an interview with the chairman of the ATP. He shared with me the ‘OneVision’ thing, and it all seemed alright when he was presenting it and sharing it with me. But there hasn’t been a significant change with prize money and compensation for players for getting to play more.
Holger Rune is nursing his Achilles tendon after tearing it during the semifinal of last year’s Stockholm Open. Grigor Dimitrov injured his right pectoral muscle after taking two sets off eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the fourth round of last year’s Wimbledon.
Ben Shelton recovered from a shoulder injury, which forced him to withdraw from his third-round match against Adrian Mannarino in last year’s US Open. Jack Draper, who at the Davis Cup played his first match since last year’s US Open first round, was once again forced to sit on the sidelines. Taylor Fritz has been playing through a knee niggle and has blamed the short off-season for not recovering well before the start of the new season.
It also creates much more fatigue and injury for players, and I don’t think it’s accidental that 2025 was the year with the most retirements on the ATP Tour.
Stefanos Tsitsipas added
Tsitsipas’ back injury forced him to miss the remainder of the 2025 season after his second-round defeat at the US Open. He has yet to make a deep run this year as he lost in his first match of the Adelaide International and second-round match of the Australian Open. Before arriving in Doha, the Greek ace lost to Botic van de Zandschulp in his second match of the Rotterdam Open.
In Doha, Tsitsipas is also playing doubles along with Alexei Popyrin. They will kick off their campaign against the pair of Jaume Munar and Tomas Machac.
Stefanos Tsitsipas picks his favorite Grand Slam tournament
During that aforementioned What’s the Call? podcast, Stefanos Tsitsipas was also asked about his favorite Grand Slam tournament. He said it’s the Australian Open and the French Open, as in both these events, he has reached a final: lost to Novak Djokovic in the final of the 2021 French Open and again to the Serb in the final of the 2023 Australian Open.
It’s between Australian Open and Roland Garros. These two, simply because, well, Australia gets me that home crowd which I don’t get in any other Slam in the world, and then Paris is like my ultimate dream.
Stefanos Tsitsipas said on the What’s the Call? podcast
The two-time Grand Slam finalist made just one final last year. He won the Dubai Open by defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime. Tsitsipas has yet to win multiple titles in a season since 2022. The last time he won a Big Title was at the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters against Casper Ruud.
Last year in the Majors, Tsitsipas failed to make the third round, losing in the second rounds of the French Open and the US Open, and in the first rounds of the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
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