Beginning in 2019, the tennis world has grown accustomed to the serving and forehand dominance of Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas.
However, since the end of the 2024 clay-court season, it appeared the former world No.3 needed to make a change.
He’d fallen outside the ATP top 10 and endured a frustrating drought, unable to secure a title or advance past the third round of a Grand Slam in that time.
Yet last week, Tsitsipas hit a turning point. He broke an 11-match losing streak in ATP 500 finals, to capture his first title at that level in Dubai.
Defeating five top-50 players in his five matches, the 26-year-old recaptured some of his best form and proved he can still control the match with his powerful weapons.
During his run to the title, eagled-eyed fans spotted Tsitsipas using a new all-black racquet.
Tennis Australia data analyst Levi Huddlestone crunched the numbers to uncover exactly what Tsitsipas may have sought in his upgraded equipment – which ultimately gave him an edge.
“What's really interesting is looking at his forehand speed, because there were a lot of people commenting on his blacked-out racket, he was using an unbranded racquet,” Huddlestone said on Thursday’s episode of The Tennis.
“His forehand speed was about 122km/h in that period between 2022 and 2024. But then in Dubai, it jumps up to 129 and the tour average is 122.”
A rise of 7km/h on the forehand side is a significant improvement and it showed in Tsitsipas’ ability to dictate rallies throughout the Dubai tournament.
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Recently-retired player Luke Saville, who has experienced Tsitsipas’ forehand firsthand on the doubles court, believes even small changes in power can make a crucial difference.
“Just to add a few k’s (per hour), that’s the difference of an opponent possibly being on the ball compared to being on the stretch,” Saville explained.
“From what I was seeing, Stef was getting a lot more on the ball as well, not just speed but revs (spin).”
It was not only Tsitsipas’ forehand elevating during his title-winning run.
Huddlestone also highlighted improvements in his serving numbers; Tsitsipas raised his first-serve percentage and delivered a near-flawless service hold rate of 90 per cent in Dubai.
“He’s a huge server, big forehand, sort of a ‘serve-plus-one’ guy. So, it could be this racquet that’s giving him a little bit more of an edge and dictating some of those points,” Huddlestone said.
“Now he’s back in the top 10 after this title run. I think it’s maybe it’s turning that new leaf.”
Always philosophical, Tsitsipas took to Instagram to send a message that he is not going away any time soon.
“They said my game was sinking… so I got myself a boat,” he wrote.
Maybe the new racquet is the boat he needs to sail back into major title contention.
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