When Stefanos Tsitsipas arrived on the ATP Tour, it looked like he would go on to lead the next generation following Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.

The Greek star achieved some impressive feats, such as reaching the finals of Roland Garros and the Australian Open, as well as winning three Masters titles.

That helped Tsitsipas achieve a career ranking high of world No 3 in 2021, but he’s suffered a very different fate on the ATP Tour in recent years.

Tstsipas has tumbled down the rankings since, and now sits at world No 35 after middling performances at Grand Slam and Masters level in 2026.

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Despite his difficult form in recent years, the Greek star still harbours ambitions to claim the first Grand Slam title of his career before he hangs up his racket.

Speaking at the Almaty Open, Tsitsipas said: “I always look at it and view it, I have my own chapter, I have my own story. Their story is not my story, and my story is not their story.

“They have written their own story through the Tour and through the success that they have had. And maybe one way you could look at it. Yes, I’m stuck a little bit behind, but this is my story, and the story is not just results on their own and performance.

“It’s what you go through as well as a tennis player, because one day I can always use that to help the next generation of tennis players. I look throughout my journey as pretty much like a learning curve, where it kind of goes up and down, and there are so many different variations of it.

“And I’ve had my fair share of success. I’ve had my fair share of victories and big wins. And every single day I have the chance to write to my story. I could maybe one day be a Grand Slam winner later in life, or not, but I’ve given it a try. I’ve tried all kinds of things to get there.”

Tsitsipas was speaking after defeating Aleksandar Kovacevic in his opening round match at the Almaty Open, an ATP 250 event on the calendar.

He will next play wildcard Mikhail Kukushkin at the Kazakhstan tournament, in what could be Kukushkin’s final-ever competitive match.

The former top 40 player is set to retire at the end of the tournament, so a win for Tsitispas brings with it the stakes that it could be the star’s final match.

Tsitsipas is the fourth highest seed left in the tournament, so he has a very good chance of lifting the title.