After ranking No. 3 in 2023, Stefanos Tsitsipas wouldn’t have expected to drop out of the top 50 just three years later. But that is exactly what has happened. The Greek had dropped all the way down to No. 88 in June, and while he has managed to recover and rise to No. 51, it still wasn’t enough for him to gain a direct entry into the main draw of the Canadian Open. As a result, Tsitsipas will now have to take a route that he hasn’t taken since 2018.

The 27-year-old will have to enter the Masters event as a qualifier to reach the main draw. A total of 74 players have been given direct entry into the main draw based on their rankings, while the likes of Jack Draper, Alexis Galarneau, Gabriel Diallo, Gael Monfils and Liam Draxl have been handed wildcards. Tsitsipas was ranked No. 85 when the entry list was confirmed on July 9, and thus missed out on a direct entry at the Canadian Open.

Tsitsipas will also have to take the qualifier route at the Cincinnati Masters as well. Strangely, he wasn’t given a wildcard in either of these tournaments even though he has been a finalist in both of them. He had made the final of the Canadian Open in 2018 and the final of the Cincinnati Masters in 2022.

Coming back, Tsitsipas’ form has been a major concern throughout the season. Despite being a very active player on the Tour and participating in several tournaments, the Greek has been able to cross the first two rounds in only four events.

His ranking fell out of the top 80 due to his dismal form during the clay swing. He managed to win just five matches in six tournaments, and this included a disappointing second-round exit against Matteo Arnaldi at the French Open. Things only got worse for Tsitsipas in the grass swing.

The change in surface didn’t bring a change to his fortunes as he exited the Mallorca Championships in the first round. Ignacio Buse defeated Tsitsipas 7-6, 6-3 in what was quite a straightforward match. The disappointments would continue at Wimbledon as Tsitsipas would draw Novak Djokovic in the second round.

He proved to be no match for the Serb on grass and was defeated 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. As a result, his ranking wasn’t able to improve, and he remained out of the top 80. This was the run of results that led to him not getting a direct entry into the main draw of both the Montreal and Cincinnati Masters.

However, even though he will have to enter these tournaments as a qualifier, Tsitsipas will be confident about reaching the main draw. This comes after he recently ended his wait for a trophy in Gstaad.

Stefanos Tsitsipas lifted his first title of the year at the Swiss Open

After an early exit at Wimbledon, Tsitsipas went on to have quite a remarkable run at the Swiss Open. The Greek had a grueling campaign in the ATP 250 event with four of his five matches going into three sets.

The 27-year-old began his campaign by getting back at Buse for the defeat in Mallorca. He defeated the Peruvian 6-4, 6-4 to advance into the second round. Tsitsipas was then involved in a hard-fought encounter against Jerome Kym. The match went down to a deciding tiebreaker, where Tsitsipas eventually triumphed and won 6-4, 6-7, 7-6.

Tsitsipas then defeated Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in what was another evenly-matched contest. The semifinal against Alexander Shevchenko would also be a tough encounter and would be the third consecutive match where Tsitsipas would play three sets. He managed to come out on top once again, winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

The final would see Tsitsipas come up against Raphael Collignon. This would be yet another match where the Greek started strong and took the first set, but his opponent levelled up the match by clinching the second set. But Tsitsipas proved to be the better player in the decider and captured the 13th ATP title of his career with a 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 victory.

This was his first title triumph since the 2025 Dubai Championships, and it saw his ranking move up by 34 places, reaching No. 51. This victory was something that Tsitsipas really wanted, especially because of the kind of season he was having. It would give him a load of confidence heading into the Masters events in Montreal and Cincinnati.