Tsitsipas 'hit by karma' in Australian Open exit

Australian Open 2025

Dates: 12-26 January Venue: Melbourne Park

Coverage: Live vigor commentary connected Tennis Breakfast from 07:00 GMT connected BBC 5 Sports Extra, positive unrecorded substance commentaries connected the BBC Sport website and app

Stefanos Tsitsipas believes his Australian Open first-round exit was "karma" aft helium withdrew from playing doubles alongside his member to absorption connected singles.

The Greek, runner-up successful Melbourne successful 2023, mislaid 7-5 6-3 2-6 6-4 to American Alex Michelsen connected the 2nd day's play.

The 11th effect had been owed to play doubles with his brother, Petros, but withdrew earlier the tourney began to support his singles chances.

"It's rather ironic. My full [idea] was to effort to spell deep. I knew the archetypal happening I had to see was not playing doubles," Tsitsipas, 26, said.

"The full intent was conscionable to prevention up connected immoderate vigor and beryllium fresher hopefully successful the deeper gully of the tournament."

"I conjecture karma deed me. I was not capable to present oregon play the mode I was hoping to astatine this year's event.

Tsitsipas has long-been tipped arsenic a aboriginal Grand Slam champion, having reached the Melbourne showpiece 2 years agone and the French Open last successful 2021, losing some to Novak Djokovic.

However, helium mislaid successful the archetypal circular astatine past year's US Open and successful the 2nd circular astatine Wimbledon.

"The astir frustrating portion astir losing successful the archetypal circular of a Grand Slam is that you person mode excessively overmuch clip to recover," Tsitsipas added.

"It conscionable sucks that I'll beryllium hanging astir for rather a portion present earlier my adjacent tourney comes in."

Jannik Sinner opens up his rubric defence aboriginal connected Monday astatine Melbourne Park, with Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios besides successful action.