Grand Slam tennis finalist drops staggering 17 places in rankings as warning sent
A former two-time Grand Slam tennis finalist has dropped down a staggering 17 places in the latest ATP rankings update during the Monte-Carlo Masters.
The Monte-Carlo Masters is the third ATP 1000 event on the 2026 calendar, with Jannik Sinner having won the men's singles titles at Indian Wells and Miami.
Carlos Alcaraz is the reigning champion in Monte-Carlo and, as the current world number two, earned a bye through to the second round.
There were few surprises on day one, with the majority of the seeded players making it safely through the opening round.
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They included Argentine star Francisco Cerundolo, who defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets 7-5 6-4.
Tsitsipas reached a career-high ATP ranking of number three in 2021 after reaching the French Open final, and made the final of the Australian Open in 2023.
But the 2019 ATP Finals winner hasn't made a ranking final since the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters, when he lost in straight sets to Norway's Casper Ruud.
The Live ATP Rankings now place him down in a lowly 65th position after his loss to Cerundolo - representing a loss of 17 places from his previous ranking.
It is his lowest ranking since 2018, and the Greek star could fall even further by the end of the tournament depending on the results of the players below him.
Speaking on Tennis TV, ex-ATP player Rob Koenig noted how Tsitsipas' form has been on a 'slow decline' over the past 12 months and that he needs to find some answers.
"Of course, it came to defending those points [from winning the event in 2024]. The ranking drops, and after Monte-Carlo last year, he dropped out of the top 10," he said.
"He's been on a slow decline for the last 12 months now. And even at a tournament where he's had so much success, he just can't find anything today."
Tsitsipas was coached by ex-Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic last year, who took the remarkable step of publicly criticising his fitness after the Greek retired from the Grand Slam event due to back issues.
"I was shocked. I've never seen such a poorly prepared player in my life," he told SportKlub.
Tsitsipas would tell The Times that the reason he hadn't practiced properly was due to the limitations of his injury, stating: "I never expected that a coach could do that to me, and the worst thing is what he said was not true.
"I was not fit because I had been injured. I hadn't been practicing properly for over two weeks. It was like he kicked me when I was down."
Topics:Â Tennis
Ryan Smart