Stefanos Tsitsipas recently won his first title in over a year at the Swiss Open.
The two-time Grand Slam finalist hadn’t won an ATP title in 505 days before he lifted the trophy in Gstaad on Sunday.
After a year of poor form, coaching changes and concerns that he may never return to the winner’s circle, Tsitsipas got his hands on a 13th career title, defeating Raphael Collignon, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, in the Swiss Open final.
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And Tsitsipas may not be done there, as the Greek has reportedly made a racket decision that could open the door to future Grand Slam success.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is now using the same racket he played with in 2019 when he won the ATP Finals
During the latest episode of the ‘Big T Podcast‘, Nick Monroe shared what he’d heard about a decision Tsitsipas made recently.
“I was able to speak to a couple of Wilson reps, and they talked about how the rackets he’s now using are from 2019, so rackets that he literally had in his closet from the year he played really well,” he said.
“So he’s been trying to find something, we know that, he was using a Babolat racket, now gone to a 2019 racket.”
This isn’t the first time Tsitsipas has made a significant equipment change, as he did the same before winning in Dubai last year.
However, the Greek didn’t stick with that racket for long and soon found himself looking for another solution.
Tsitsipas’ many fans will hope that this time, he’s found the answer to his problems.
The 2019 racket certainly worked well for him then, as he won the ATP Finals, reached a Grand Slam semi-final, a Masters 1000 final, and finished the year ranked sixth in the world.
Stefanos Tsitsipas’ results in 2019 (big tournaments)
| Tournament | Tier | Performance | Wins | Defeat |
| Australian Open | Grand Slam | Semi-final | 5 (Matteo Berrettini, Victor Troicki, Roger Federer, Roberto Bautista Agut) | Rafael Nadal |
| Indian Wells | Masters 1000 | Second round | – | Felix Auger-Aliassime |
| Miami Open | Masters 1000 | Fourth round | 2 (Mackenzie McDonald, Leonardo Mayer) | Denis Shapovalov |
| Monte Carlo Masters | Masters 1000 | Third round | 1 (Mikhail Kukushkin) | Daniil Medvedev |
| Madrid Open | Masters 1000 | Final | 4 (Adrian Mannarino, Fernando Verdasco, Alexander Zverev, Rafael Nadal) | Novak Djokovic |
| Italian Open | Masters 1000 | Semi-final | 2 (Jannik Sinner, Fabio Fognini) | Rafael Nadal |
| French Open | Grand Slam | Fourth round | 3 (Maximilian Marterer, Hugo Dellien, Filip Krajinovic) | Stan Wawrinka |
| Wimbledon | Grand Slam | First round | – | Thomas Fabbiano |
| Canadian Open | Masters 1000 | Second round | – | Hubert Hurkacz |
| Cincinnati Open | Masters 1000 | Second round | – | Jan-Lennard Struff |
| US Open | Grand Slam | First round | – | Andrey Rublev |
| Shanghai Masters | Masters 1000 | Semi-final | 3 (Felix Auger-Aliassime, Hubert Hurkacz, Novak Djokovic) | Daniil Medvedev |
| Paris Masters | Masters 1000 | Quarter-final | 2 (Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur) | Novak Djokovic |
| ATP Finals | ATP Finals | Champion | 4 (Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Roger Federer, Dominic Thiem) | Rafael Nadal (Group stage) |
He beat Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer in 2019, announcing himself as one of the players most likely to challenge for Grand Slam titles when the ‘big three’ retired.
Had he stuck to that racket for the following seven years, perhaps he might have won a major.
Instead, Tsitsipas has endured a torrid run at the four Grand Slams and hasn’t beaten a top-five player since 2024.
Stefanos Tsitsipas’ last nine Grand Slams
- 2024 Wimbledon – Lost in 2R to Emil Ruusuvuouri
- 2024 US Open – Lost in 1R to Thanasi Kokkinakis
- 2025 Australian Open – Lost in 1R to Alex Michelsen
- 2025 French Open – Lost in 2R to Matteo Gigante
- 2025 Wimbledon – Lost in 1R to Valentin Royer
- 2025 US Open – Lost in 2R to Daniel Altmaier
- 2026 Australian Open – Lost in 2R to Tomas Machac
- 2026 French Open – Lost in 2R to Matteo Arnaldi
- 2026 Wimbledon – Lost in 2R to Novak Djokovic
With that racket back in his hands, who knows if the good times will return for the 27-year-old.
Brad Gilbert reacts to Stefanos Tsitsipas changing his coach again
The racket isn’t the only thing Tsitsipas has changed, as he has once again removed his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, from his coaching team.
Coco Gauff’s former coach, Brad Gilbert, has now delivered his verdict on Tsitsipas’ decision.
“Well, first of all, this thing has gone on now for a few years. They’ve started, they’ve stopped; the hardest thing to do for another coach is to co-coach with a parent,” he said.
“Personally, I wouldn’t go into a situation where I was co-coaching with the parent. Because do you have the final say? Does he have the final say?
“And not only was his dad the coach, but his entire family was on the road.
“He’s even got the mum out there sometimes, and the mum and dad are arguing; that’s a tough dynamic!”
Gilbert also took a moment to comment on Tsitsipas’ racket indecision.
“Another thing that’s been crazy with him, he’s been back and forth between his Wilson, Babolat, a painted racket; these are all things that get in the head of a tennis player. And if you’ve got things that get in your head more than your opponent, you’re losing a lot of battles, just to yourself,” he said.
Tsitsipas will return to action at the Washington Open, which begins on Monday, July 27.
