Stefanos Tsitsipas has withdrawn from the 2023 World Tennis League, which is another setback in a long battle with injuries.
Things are seemingly not getting better for Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is now in a very tricky situation at the start of the new year and the upcoming 2024 ATP season. The Greek player spent much of his offseason in Dubai with his girlfriend, Paula Badosa, who has her base set up there.
They trained together in preparation for the new season, which they'll kick off Down Under like the rest of the field. Before that, they signed up for the World Tennis League in Abu Dhabi, where they even got to play doubles together.
The first iteration of Tsitsidosa proved successful as they won; however, Tsitsipas is now dealing with some bumps on the road. His 2023 campaign ended on a bad note with a back injury forcing him to first retire and then withdraw from the ATP Finals, and you kind of wonder if this is related to that.
He looked fine when he played at the 2023 World Tennis League for the most part but winced in pain a few times when serving, so the back is seemingly still active, and the fact that Lloyd Harris replaced him for his team's matches on Friday and Saturday shows that he's not yet ready to compete.
The last thing he needs right now is a back injury or any physical problem because the Australian Open is quickly approaching, and he played in the final last year. It's also one of his favorite parts of the year due to the large Greek community in Melbourne, which supports him during the event.
We'll see what happens, but it's clear he's in a bit of a race against time to be ready for the season's first major.
After two days of not playing, the Greek player made an interesting decision, which bends the tournament's rules, as not four, but five players will compete for The Kites in the final tie of the 2023 World Tennis League.
Tsitsipas will appear on the court once more, teaming up with his girlfriend Badosa, before he steps away again, and Harris takes care of doubles with Grigor Dimitrov, giving his team an advantage of having one more player, but since the WTL is an exhibition tournament, everything is possible.
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