Jul 30, 2025; Toronto, ON, Canada; Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) plays a shot against Christopher O'Connell (AUS) during second round play at Sobeys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

tennis

Nick Kyrgios Defends Stefanos Tsitsipas Amid Harsh Fan Ridicule Over Ongoing Grand Slam Struggles

Stefanos Tsitsipas looks to move past a disappointing 2025.

Jul 30, 2025; Toronto, ON, Canada; Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) plays a shot against Christopher O'Connell (AUS) during second round play at Sobeys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Stefanos Tsitsipas isn’t going through an easy time. The Greek player hasn’t had a good year, especially in the Grand Slams. Despite trying different coaches and different methods, Tsitsipas has just not been able to catch a break. Now, other early exits in the US Open have opened the floodgates of ridicule from fans. Interestingly, an old rival, Nick Kyrgios, has come out to defend Tsitsipas during this ordeal.

Stefanos Tsitsipas was 22 years old, 2-0 up in the Roland Garros 2021 final.

After blowing that lead, his career has been pretty much downhill ever since.

This fall off needs to be studied. pic.twitter.com/YtGfsJ10Gk
— Swish 🍒 Tennis (@Zwxsh) August 29, 2025

Nick Kyrgios Questions Fans Who Are Trolling Stefanos Tsitsipas

There was a time when Stefanos Tsitsipas was considered one of tennis’ premier young players. Someone who was sure to win a Grand Slam in the near future. However, since the French Open final in 2022, Tsitsipas has been in a slow decline. Perhaps 2025 is the nadir, but that made fans joke about him not really living up to his potential. However, Kyrgios disagrees.

A social media post captioned, “The haters said he couldn’t do it. The haters said he’d never win a grand slam. And they were correct. Honestly great call from the haters,” generated ton of heat for Tsitsipas. Kyrgios couldn’t stop himself from defending Tsitsipas by writing, “Guys made over 30 mill USD. Haters will continue to hate whilst sitting with their hands in their pants.”

😭 Kyrgios ‘defending’ Tsitsipas is not a turn that I expected pic.twitter.com/yBq9rvfsWF
— Olly Tennis 🎾🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) August 31, 2025

Certainly, that’s a valid take. With almost $35m earnings, Kyrgios sits just outside top 10 in the all-time list of men’s tennis. However, one can’t help but see that Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have zoomed past him even in earnings despite being much younger than him. More importantly, Tsitsipas remains without a Grand Slam but also, as of now, without much confidence. But that’s just the culmination of an inconsistent year, both on and off the field.

Tsitsipas’ Coaching Changes and Controversies That Derailed 2025

After years of playing under the tutelage of his father, Stefanos Tsitsipas decided to enroll Goran Ivanisevic as his new coach. The relationship wasn’t ideal from the start as Ivanisevic tended to publicly shame Tsitsipas. The worst of it came after Wimbledon, when he declared that at 53, he was “three times” as fit as Tsitsipas. This constant shaming ultimately led to their relationship ending in just two months.

Now Tsitsipas is back with his father, Apostolos, but the damage is done. While his father has since disapproved of Ivanisevic’s methods, saying, “Coaches must create the right environment for the player to develop,” things haven’t improved under him either. Tsitsipas has lost 7 of his last 10 matches. The latest being a shocking second-round exit from the US Open. While Nick Kyrgios is defending him, one can’t deny Tsitsipas hasn’t been impressive for a long time now.

Can Tsitsipas return to his best in 2026? He’d certainly wish he did. The Greek has already fallen behind Alcaraz and Sinner, how long before the entire sport passes him by?

Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

ATP

Goran Ivanisevic

Nick Kyrgios

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Tennis

US Open

US Open 2025

Sanskar Dubey

A passionate sports fan since childhood, it was always my dream to cover the peak of human potential. Baseball, Tennis, and Football (or Soccer) have been closest to my heart. From Rafael Nadal’s never-say-die attitude to Roger Federer’s beautiful backhand, I’ve seen it all. Prior to the Playoffs, I’ve worked in EssentiallySports and Pro Football and Sports Network.