Stefanos Tsitsipas withdraws from third consecutive event despite playing Six Kings Slam

Stefanos Tsitsipas won't compete at the 2025 Vienna Open despite already appearing in the draw for the ATP 500 tournament.

Tsitsipas hasn't played a lot in recent weeks. After representing his country at the Davis Cup, the Greek player withdrew from the China Open and then the Shanghai Masters. Despite his withdrawals, he still appeared at the Six Kings Slam, which was an exhibition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

It was surprising for Tsitsipas to play at the event, considering his previous withdrawals. But with his appearance in Riyadh, many of the Greek player's fans hoped that it signaled his return to the tennis courts.

That appeared to be the case when Tsitsipas appeared in the Vienna Open draw. The ATP 500 event in Vienna, also called the Erste Bank Open because of sponsorship reasons, runs from October 20th until 26th, and as an unseeded player, Tsitsipas was drawn against the fourth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the first round.

However, that match won't happen, as Tsitsipas withdrew from the tournament one day before the meeting was supposed to take place. Instead, Hamad Medjedovic will try to stun Musetti in the first round of the ATP 500 tournament in the Austrian capital.

What made Tsitsipas' withdrawal even more surprising was the fact that he was already in Vienna and even took part in promotional activities ahead of the tournament. It seemed like nothing could stop him from competing.

Tsitsipas will certainly focus on getting back to his top physical shape in the coming weeks, as he has two more events on his schedule before the end of the season. He should compete in the last ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the season in Paris.

The Paris Masters will change venues this year, as the tournament will be held in the La Défense Arena. If Tsitsipas isn't healthy enough to compete, he might miss the inaugural event at this new venue.

But there is one more inaugural tournament that Tsitsipas signed up for and likely wouldn't want to miss. He is signed up to compete at the Athens Open, which is a new tournament held in his home country.

Novak Djokovic leads the entry list, as his brother, Djordje, is the tournament organizer for the Athens Open. As the most successful player from Greece, Tsitsipas is among those who should compete as well.