Stefanos Tsitsipas recently took part in the ATP Tour’s Middle Eastern swing, with middling results.
Tsitsipas reached the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open, which included an impressive win against Daniil Medvedev.
The Greek star’s fortunes were wildly different in Dubai, where he lost in straight sets in the first round to Ugo Humbert.
Tsitsipas has always opted to play the Middle Eastern swing instead of the Argentina and Rio Open in South America and now he has explained why.
Stefanos Tsitsipas says not playing South America is purely financial
Speaking to Clay, Tsitsipas confirmed the reason he’s never played the South American swing is because it doesn’t pay as much as the Middle East.
“I’ve never received good offers to go there; when the financial gap is big, you really have no option but to stick with what supports your career,” he said.
“I’ll be direct and honest: from a financial standpoint, it’s understandable that I choose other destinations instead of South America. All players choose tournaments based on guarantees as well.”
If you were in charge of tennis, what is the first rule you would change?
The Middle East famously pay big guaranteed fees, with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner reportedly receiving $1.2 million to appear at the Qatar Open this year.
“That’s how tennis works,” said a brutally honest Tsitsipas. “South America has never offered me a deal good enough to seriously consider it.
“The Middle East has always been much better in terms of appearance fees. The European swing has also provided strong financial incentives. That makes a difference.
“There’s that passion in South America that I sometimes set aside, but when the financial gap is large, you really have no choice but to go with what backs your career.
“I would love to play there. It’s always been my dream to visit South America and I’ve heard wonderful things about it.”
As a result of the sheer disparity in money, the Rio Open and Argentina Open were severely devoid of star power.
Francisco Cerundolo was the top ranked player at the ATP 500 event in Brazil this year, despite being ranked World No. 19.
Top players are missing a trick not playing the Rio Open
The Rio Open offers the same amount of ranking points as both the Qatar Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships, so it’s frankly bizarre that some of the top 20 are not playing.
Players that have grown up on clay, such as Casper Ruud and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, could climb up the rankings thanks to the South American swing.
What is your bold prediction for the 2026 tennis season?
For Tsitsipas, it is highly unlikely that he would meet a player as strong as Humbert in the opening round of the Rio Open.
The Greek star has now fallen out of the ATP Tour top 40 thanks to his middling performances in the Middle East.
It would have been less financially secure, but he could have built some much-needed momentum with performances in South America.
