Stefanos Tsitsipas has made a dramatic U-turn from his previous decision not to play mixed doubles at the Olympic Games if a recent evaluation is to be believed.
Tsitsipas is considered the greatest Greek tennis player of all time. He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 3 in the past, the highest peak by a player from his country on the ATP Tour.
In April, he won his third Monte Carlo Masters title and re-entered the world's Top 10 for the second time. Among Tsitsipas' most significant accomplishments at Grand Slam level include reaching two finals and losing to Novak Djokovic at the 2021 French Open and 2023 Australian Open.
Tsitsipas has represented Greece once at the Olympics stage, losing in the last 16 in Tokyo to Ugo Humber in singles. This year, he is set to make a second appearance at the ultimate sporting showpiece in Paris.
Over a year ago, Tsitsipas ruled out playing mixed doubles with Maria Sakkari, explaining that it would be an additional burden considering that he is slated to enter the singles tournament as one of the favorites for gold and mixed doubles partnering brother Petros.
Sakkari, who is inarguably the best female Greek player in history, would form a powerful pair for the mixed doubles title if she partnered with Tsitsipas. And it wouldn't be the first time that they joined forces in mixed doubles.
They have previously played in competitions such as the Hopman Cup, United Cup, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021). However, the 28-year-old WTA World No. 7 revealed in April that Tsitsipas was not showing interest in teaming up for three competitions at the Olympics because he would be playing in two already in July.
A recent tweet by Greek journalist Vicky Georgatou suggests that Tsitsipas will reverse his initial stance and play with Sakkari in mixed doubles. At the Tokyo Olympics, they reached the quarterfinals of the mixed doubles tournament.
"Stefanos Tsitsipas tells me that if he makes it to the Olympics with his brother, then he will play all three events."