The night was supposed to be quiet – one of those rare evenings when Stefanos Tsitsipas could slip into anonymity behind the wheel of his sleek Lotus, away from the noise of headlines and the harsh glare of a season that never truly took off. But as he sped down Attiki Odos, the Athens expressway slicing through the dark, the road offered him the freedom he had been chasing all year. Maybe a little too much of it.

At 210 km/hr, Tsitsipas was driving at the speed of light, perhaps outrunning the frustration of a disappointing season laced with multiple injury concerns and lacklustre form. But the Attiki Odos’ digital eye never blinks. One flash. One record. One message. And just like that, the Greek star found himself facing a digital fine of €2,000 ($2308), not from an opponent, not from the ATP, but by the law.

Stefanos Tsitsipas has now become one of the first to receive the digital fine via gov.gr as he was recorded by the new “smart cameras”. Greece has also joined the IoT bandwagon. with technology taking over violation governance – issuing digital traffic fines automatically via gov.gr. Even a toe out of line and the drivers will receive immediate notifications of violations and fines directly in their personal gov.gr accounts.

Following this incident, the tennisnews.gr contacted Stefanos Tsitsipas’ lawyer, Thanasis Papathanasiou. According to the lawyer’s statement, “Regarding the incident that was made public, the car was being driven by a third person. The issue of the fine and the surrender of the license have all been handled.” However, earlier rumors claimed that the tennis star was in the driver’s seat, and hence, his license was suspended for one year.

Greek stars and traffic violations are starting to look an unlikely trend catching on. It’s not just Tsitsipas. Even actress Dimitra Matsouka was arrested in Vouliagmeni for driving 97 km/hr in a 50 km/hr zone, without a license, and with removed license plates. 

Stefanos Tsitsipas’s abrupt end to his 2025 season and goals for 2026

For most of 2025, Stefanos Tsitsipas seemed to be fighting a battle on two fronts – one against his opponents across the net and another against his own body. Last season he played 65 matches and had a win rate of 66.2%, but this season, the Greek could only play 38 matches with a win record of 55.3% (lowest since 2017). He was forced to retire against Arthur Fils in the QF of the Barcelona Open, and then again at Wimbledon, in the first-round match against Valentin Royer.

His ranking has now dropped to 34. His only title triumph came in February at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Tsitsipas didn’t even make it past the second round at Grand Slams and only reached the QF once at the Masters event.

“I need a healthy body to give myself more chances to maybe rebound and be back in the top five. If I’m not going to be healthy, it’s going to be a very difficult task for me to be at the top of my game again…My body has not been where I want it to be. Call it chronic overtraining, overuse, or the demand of the tour. I don’t know what it is. I wish I had an answer, but I have played a lot of matches in my life, and my body is feeling it at this very moment.”

Seeing his performance at the Davis Cup, former pro Steve Johnson even claimed, “Tsitsipas is a rudderless boat at the moment. He has no idea what he’s doing. He just looks lost, I don’t know. He’s got to find some way to, like, get it back.”

Tsitsipas is on medical rest at the moment with a focus on recovery to be ready for the 2026 season. “I want to come back stronger in 2026.”

Do you think Stefanos Tsitsipas can bounce back before the start of the 2026 season?