Tennis is, above all, a state of mind, and if there’s one player who embodies the emotional roller coaster of the tour, it’s Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek arrived at this year’s Mutua Madrid Open plagued by uncertainty and ignored by the spotlight that once picked him out as one of the natural heirs to the clay throne. However, he’s determined to roar again.
“Clay is an artist’s canvas, it brings out the purest and most beautiful tennis”, the French Open finalist in 2021 and three-time Monte Carlo Masters 1000 champion once said years ago. Those titles now seem like they were won in another lifetime. There’s no denying the former world number three is going through a slump; he is currently ranked 80th in the world and arrived at the Caja Magica bearing the burden of three consecutive losses.
However, Madrid could be the place to sooth Tsitsipas’ wounds. The Greek, a finalist in the Manolo Santana Stadium in 2019, opened on Saturday night with a convincing 6-2, 7-5 win over the always dangerous Alexander Bublik, the eighth seed. His next opponent will be Spain’s Dani Mérida, one of the surprise packages of this year’s Mutua Madrid Open.
For Tsitsipas, Madrid is not just any other tournament, it’s the venue where his tennis once oozed an elegance that captivated the world. The Spanish capital, with its altitude and speed, is the perfect habitat for his game because the thin air boosts his serve and that inside-out forehand finds impossible angles. If he can regain confidence in his backhand, he will always be in contention.
The Caja Magica still remembers the Greek of yesteryear. It’s impossible to forget the 2019 edition, where a very young Tsitsipas reached the final at just 20 years of age after a dream week in which he defeated Alexander Zverev and Rafael Nadal. That Sunday, it took a superb Novak Djokovic to stop the Greek, but the message was clear; Tsitsipas was born to reign on clay.
Three years later, in 2022, Tsitsipas once again showed his love affair with Madrid’s clay was still alive and well when he reached the semifinals. On that occasion, Zverev proved his undoing in a high-tension duel where a handful of moments tipped the balance in favour of the German. These results were no fluke, they tell the story of a player who understands the geometry of these courts and knows how to use the support of the Spanish crowd to raise his game.
With a record of 11 wins and 9 losses so far in 2026, the Mutua Madrid Open has come around at just the right time. Tsitsipas is seeking a return to form that would allow him to reach Roland Garros in the best possible shape. A solid run of wins in the Caja Magica could change the course of his season. Tsitsipas is looking to roar again in Madrid.