Stefanos Tsitsipas’ career is at a crossroads ahead of his first match at this year’s US Open.
The immensely talented Greek has been a portrait of inconsistency in 2025, and there are plenty of skeptics who believe that Tsitsipas is already past his best days as a tennis pro.
That may seem harsh on a 27-year-old who was ranked inside the top 10 four months ago, but that’s how maddening Tsitsipas’ struggles have been this summer.
The lack of consistency, coupled with the off-court sagas, have made Tsitsipas an unfancied favorite against Alexandre Muller in Round 1 of the US Open on Tuesday.
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | -200 |
| Alexandre Muller | +162 |
It’s hard to believe the form that Tsitsipas is in right now. The former World No. 3 has lost six of his last eight matches, with five of the defeats coming against players ranked outside the top 60.
It’s been four months since Tsitsipas won two matches in a row, and he hasn’t strung together three straight wins since winning his first two matches at Indian Wells on the heels of his title in Dubai in February.
Despite this hard-to-believe stretch, Tsitsipas remains the No. 28 player in the world, which means he earned a seed for the 2025 US Open.
And while it may seem like the draw was unkind to him, planting him against No. 38 Alexandre Muller, this could be just what the doctor ordered for Tsitsipas, who always has a ton of support from the crowd in New York City thanks to the area’s Greek population.
Muller, like Tsitsipas, has come off the boil lately with just four wins in his last 13 matches, and a 27-30 record over the last 52 weeks.
The Frenchman will relish the opportunity to get back into form against another struggling player, but there have been no real signs that the 28-year-old is coming out of his rut.
Additionally, this tournament hasn’t been too kind to Muller in the past, as the Frenchman has played just three main-draw matches, with one win in his career.
Tsitsipas will have the crowd behind him on Tuesday, and he’ll get an opponent who is also standing on shaky ground.
This is a chance to buy low on the talented Tsitsipas and hope he finally gets his act together.
If he does have his game clicking, he could make very quick work of the struggling Muller.
The Play: Tsitsipas -2.5 sets (+275, bet365)
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.