Stefanos Tsitsipas learns from his mistakes in Melbourne.
In 2019, the then 20-year-old was demolished by Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, winning just six games in what John McEnroe said at the time was a “beatdown”.
Two years later, he became just the second player to recover from two sets down to defeat Nadal at a grand slam.
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Stef gives Philippoussis a cheeky dig | 00:33
This time around for Tsitsipas, nearly two years have passed since his 2021 defeat to Novak Djokovic in the French Open final after leading by two sets.
It was a loss that devastated him and one many feel plagued him for the next year or so, none more so than Djokovic’s coach, Goran Ivanisevic.
“I have seen him very nervous since the beginning of this tournament. It may be strange, but that match last year against Nole set him back,” Ivanisevic said at the 2022 French Open after Tsitsipas’ fourth-round exit at the hands of 19-year-old Holger Rune.
“I watched him, he’s very nervous, he argues a lot with his mom and dad. It’s not the same Tsitsipas from last year who was more focused, he knew what he was doing and he knew how to play.”
Ivanisevic added he loved Tsitsipas as a player and wanted him “to make a comeback as soon as possible”, but his comments about Tsitsipas’ slump echoed the thoughts shared by a lot of the tennis world.
Being brutally honest is a shared trait of the Djokovic and Tsitsipas camps when it comes to their views on the other.
Tsitsipas was one of the most high-profile names to genuinely weigh in on Djokovic’s deportation saga at the Australian Open last year, putting his cards on the table as he so often has for better or worse thus far in his career.
“For sure, he’s been playing by his own rules and has been doing what not many players had the guts to do, especially after the ATP announced certain criteria for players to enter the country,” Tsitsipas told India’s WION news channel at the time.
“No one really thought they could come to Australia unvaccinated and not having to follow the protocols … it takes a lot of daring to do and putting the grand slam at risk, which I don’t think many players would do.”
Asked if Djokovic should be allowed to play, Tsitsipas said: “There are two ways to look at it. One side of it is that almost every single player is fully vaccinated … and have followed the protocols to play in Australia.”
“On the other hand, it seems not everyone is playing by the rules … a very small minority (sic) chose to follow their own way, which kind of makes the majority look like fools.”
It’s that sort of honesty and consideration in response to questions that typify Tsitsipas, who is one of the most enigmatic personalities in the game.
That persona extends to off the court, which Tsitsipas himself admitted this year.
“I would love to have friends on tour,” he told GQ.
“I just don’t feel like I relate to a lot of them, in terms of how I approach life.”
Those comments from Tsitsipas came months after his fiery loss to Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon, after which Kyrgios said of Tsitsipas, “he’s not liked (in the locker room)”.
Watching Tsitsipas’ byplay with his player’s box has at times felt intensely personal, particularly in his dynamic with father and coach Apostolos.
That dynamic has appeared to hinder him as much as help him, no more so than during last year’s Australian Open semi-final against Daniil Medvedev, when Tsitsipas’ father was at the centre of a “sting” operation to uncover illegal coaching.
Fast forward a year and Tsitsipas’ box now includes former Australian tennis star Mark Philippoussis, which has proved perhaps as shrewd an appointment as any in the game.
He commenced working with Tsitsipas during Wimbledon last year on a trial basis, with that becoming a more permanent arrangement after the tournament.
While tactical advice would be sought from him, perhaps Philippoussis’ biggest contribution is the calm he brings to the Tsitsipas camp – a calm insiders say has been much-needed.
It’s another previous mistake Tsitsipas has worked to address and one that is paying dividends this tournament, which has seen such fiery interactions hardly occur.
“I‘m playing great tennis. I’m enjoying myself. I just see no downside or negativity in what I’m trying to do out there. Even if it doesn’t work, I’m very optimistic and positive about any outcome, any opponent that I have to face,” he said after his semi-final win.
“This is something that has been sort of lacking in my game. I genuinely believe in what I‘m able to produce. That is more than enough. I go about this way.
“I do this with a lot of — I strive for it every single day. It might not go the way I want it to, but I put 110 per cent out there.”
Despite the lopsided head-to-head record against Djokovic, Tsitsipas’ 110 per cent can trouble the nine-time champion in a way not many players can.
While trailing in 2-10 in the win-loss count, both of Tsitsipas’ wins have come on outdoor hard court, where (weather permitting) Sunday night’s match will be contested.
In both their grand slam encounters at the French Open, Djokovic required a fifth set to win.
Their most recent two matches at the backend of last year saw Djokovic win, but require tiebreaks in both.
Djokovic defends father after ban | 00:41
More than anything, Tsitsipas has the game to challenge Djokovic if – and it is a big if – it’s operating at its absolute peak.
Early in his career Tsitsipas drew comparisons with Roger Federer for his style of play, particularly his one-handed backhand, but it’s on his forehand wing he does supreme damage.
Such was the quality of that stroke in his semi-final that commentator Mark Petchey agreed it was “Federer-esque”.
It is the serve and forehand combination that can flap the otherwise unflappable Djokovic, at least in theory.
Whatever the case, it will be a different Tsitsipas that meets Djokovic in the final of a major than the one that suffered heartbreak in 2021.
“I have a good relationship with myself on the court. I think this is something that has given me that sort of attitude. Of course, less frustration than before,” he said.
“I don‘t feel like it has produced anything beneficial for me. It’s also experience at the same time.”
Experience and self-improvement made all the difference when Tsitsipas toppled Nadal two years after a brutal defeat.
How much difference it has made nearly two years on from his last major meeting with Djokovic will prove critical to Sunday’s result.
