Stefanos Tsitsipas sinks after defeat at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is sinking into the abyss of world tennis – and an insider did not hold back on devastating criticism following the humiliating defeat at the 2026 Monte-Carlo Masters. The Greek, a three-time champion of this prestigious ATP Masters 1000 tournament, was eliminated in the first round by Argentine Francisco Cerundolo, losing in straight sets 5-7 and 4-6, a result that shocked fans and experts alike.

Benoit Maylin, a well-known French tennis insider, had no hesitation in painting a grim picture of Tsitsipas’ current form. “Tsitsipas is like the Titanic. We know it’s going to sink, and it is indeed sinking. It’s absolutely absurd that he has fallen out of the top 60,” Maylin stated in an interview on the program Sans Filet. “If there’s a tournament where we could expect Stefanos to bring back the glory days of his career, it’s in Monte Carlo. Since 2022, he had always reached at least the quarter-finals, he loved playing here, it was where he shone, but the Tsitsipas we knew is no longer here.”

The French insider did not hold back in describing the Greek’s psychological state: “I don’t even see Tsitsipas anymore; it looks like he has been replaced by an alien. It’s not him. There’s no conviction, his head is always down, his shoulders are slumped, he lacks belief. It’s frightening. He is sinking completely, and I don’t see how he can escape this shipwreck.”

The criticism has also targeted the figure of Tsitsipas’s father and coach, Apostolos, who resumed his coaching role after a disastrous collaboration with former champion Goran Ivanisevic last year. “He tried everything: the Ivanisevics, the Mouratoglous. His father saved him from drowning when he was little; he is a living god to him. But the father is killing him, preventing him from breathing. It’s terrifying because we love this player; he is still young and could shine again, but I don’t believe it. To me, he is dead,” concluded Maylin in an interview with We Love Tennis.

This bleak scenario takes on even more dimensions when we recall the controversial relationship between Tsitsipas and Goran Ivanisevic. The legendary Croatian coach did not hold back harsh criticism of the Greek player in 2025, stating he had never seen a player so poorly prepared. Recently, Ivanisevic reiterated these criticisms in an interview with SportKlub. Tsitsipas, for his part, responded harshly to The Times: “If his intention was to motivate me to work harder and get my life in order, it was definitely the worst approach. I was very hurt. I never thought a coach could do that to me, and the worst part is that what he said was not true. I wasn’t fit because I was injured and hadn’t trained properly for over two weeks. It was like getting kicked when I was already on the ground.”

Now, Stefanos Tsitsipas faces an uphill battle to return to the top and secure a seeded spot at the upcoming Roland Garros. The time to regain his confidence, game, and champion’s aura is running out quickly. What is going on with the Greek prodigy? Is he truly doomed to sink in the ocean of tennis, or is there still hope for a triumphant resurgence? The coming months will be crucial for one of the greatest talents of his generation.

This article first appeared on Apito Final.