Stefanos Tsitsipas Shares Whether He Has Rediscovered Joy of Competition After Reaching Madrid Open 4th Round

Stefanos Tsitsipas will lock horns with Casper Ruud in the fourth round of the Madrid Open.

Stefanos Tsitsipas Shares Whether He Has Rediscovered Joy of Competition After Reaching Madrid Open 4th Round

Stefanos Tsitsipas (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

In Short
  • Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the fourth round of the Madrid Open, marking his first Masters 1000 fourth round since 2025.
  • He expressed joy in rediscovering the competitive spirit and performing at a high level during his matches.
  • Tsitsipas is set to face defending champion Casper Ruud in the next round, with a 2-3 head-to-head record against him.

Stefanos Tsitsipas has reached the fourth round of a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time since the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters. On Monday (April 27th), the Greek ace knocked out Daniel Merida Aguilar 6-4, 6-2 in the Madrid Open third round to reach the fourth round of the tournament for the fourth time.

Tsitsipas is a former finalist in Madrid. Back in 2019, he reached his career’s second Masters 1000 title clash only to suffer a straight-set defeat at the hands of 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.

Tsitsipas’ 2025 season was marred by injuries. After his second-round exit at the US Open, he skipped the rest of the season. The start of this year was no different, and Tsitsipas once said in an interview that he was trying to rediscover the joy of competition again.

I think there was plenty to take from today. I was solid. I was playing my game and applying great loads of pressure on the court. I’m just really joyful to see myself perform at such a high level. I wasn’t giving much. That’s what made me a strong opponent today.

Stefanos Tsitsipas said during his on-court interview

The Greek ace has so far lifted three Masters 1000 titles, all at the Monte-Carlo Masters. He defeated Andrey Rublev in 2021, then defended his crown the following year by beating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. After his quarterfinal exit in 2024, Tsitsipas won his third title by beating Casper Ruud.

Well, when you’re playing matches like that, when you’re fighting and in a good mindset and you’re constantly looking and searching for opportunities, you feel like the joy of the game on its own allows you to feel already when you’re on the court. These type of moments, despite of the actual result, I feel like they teach me a lot. They make me get in touch with the game. I really love the game when I get to discover tennis in such ways. Just hitting winners, missing a few times, but overall trying to take the most out of it.

Stefanos Tsitsipas added

Apart from the three Monte Carlo titles, the 27-year-old has also reached four more Masters 1000 finals. Prior to the Madrid tournament, Tsitsipas produced his best performance at this level this year when he reached the third round of the Miami Open, losing the match to Arthur Fils.

Stefanos Tsitsipas will play against Casper Ruud next

Stefanos Tsitsipas is expected to face a tough challenge in the fourth round in the form of Casper Ruud. The Norwegian ace, in fact, is the defending champion.

Casper Ruud
Casper Ruud (Image via X/Jose Morgado)

Last year in the final, he went past Jack Draper, who withdrew from the tournament due to an injury. It was Ruud’s first victory in a Masters 1000 tournament. Before scheduling his match against Tsitsipas, Ruud dismantled Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Ruud, the winner of 14 singles titles, lifted 12 trophies on clay. Tsitsipas, on the other hand, won five of his 12 titles on clay.

Last year, Ruud played three finals, winning the Madrid Open and the Stockholm Open against Ugo Humbert, and losing the Dallas Open against Denis Shapovalov. The three-time Grand Slam finalist holds a 3-2 head-to-head edge over Tsitsipas, last meeting him in the final of the 2024 Barcelona Open, which he won. Ruud will be playing the fourth round of a Masters 1000 event this year for the second time after the Indian Wells Masters.

Because of his poor performances, the former World No.3 now stands in the 80th spot in the rankings table. But on live rankings, thanks to his Madrid Open performance, the two-time Major finalist reached the 75th spot.

Also read: Elena Rybakina Shows Total Disagreement With Chair Umpire Over Qinwen Zheng’s Service Call in Madrid