French Open 2026: Stefanos Tsitsipas says Jannik Sinner's dominance 'hard to imagine' years ago, makes Usain Bolt comparison
By Leon Imber
Updated 26/05/2026 at 23:50 GMT+1
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Stefanos Tsitsipas used the example of Usain Bolt to explain Jannik Sinner's rise to the top of men's tennis, which he found "hard to imagine" a few years ago.
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Tsitsipas, the Greek former world No. 3, beat Sinner in straight sets in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open four years ago. Since, the pair have undergone contrasting trajectories.
Sinner enters the French Open having won five tournaments on the trot - all ATP 1000 events - as he became the youngest man in history to complete the 'Golden Masters'.
The Italian is hunting his fifth major title and is considered the overwhelming favourite to do so in Paris, in light of Carlos Alcaraz's absence.
Tsitsipas, meanwhile, has fallen to No. 79 in the ATP rankings and has not progressed beyond the second round of a Grand Slam since Roland-Garros in 2024.
The 27-year-old said he did not envisage Sinner's rise to the pinnacle of the sport.
"If you were to tell me that he was going to be that good as he is now, it was hard to imagine in that particular moment that he was going to suddenly, like, pop up the way he did, pretty much winning everything," Tsitsipas said, before Sinner's first-round win at the French Open.
"He played great tennis. Even back then he played great tennis. I just feel like his game wasn't as structured as it is now.
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"It feels like now it's much more structured and he's using, definitely, much more variation in his game.
"His forehand, from what I remember in the past, used to be a part of his game that wasn't the best, and now it has become sort of solid from all sides.
"There aren't many weaknesses in his game. I think that's what makes it difficult for most of us to play against him. Like, his serve improved massively.
"When I played him, I don't remember him serving that great. Now he finds his spots. Not necessarily serves huge with a lot of kilometers per hour but he's able to find his spots - especially on pressure moments, moments that count.
"He's always going for a high-percentage first serve and that gives him a big edge with his game."
Tsitsipas said Sinner's route to world No. 1 is "inspiring" as he himself looks to return to the top and compared the Italian's dominance to the manner in which Usain Bolt continued to push the limit of his 100m world record.
"Yes, it's inspiring what Jannik is doing, because it definitely shows you that there is potential for everyone to up their game and do something more than they think they can," Tsitsipas said.
"You always think, when you're at your best, that you're kind of getting close to your best version of tennis.
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"But, you know, having relived that plenty of times in the past, I have only come to realise that the version that I thought of me back then actually didn't know what I can actually achieve today.
"I have had matches today that my level was not even close to what I have played in the past. So you can never put a limit to it. You always increase the limit.
"It's almost like the world record with 100m sprint. You always thought that no one would be able to run under 10 seconds in a 100m race but people keep breaking the record all the time.
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"Usain Bolt was definitely someone... it [his record] hasn't been broken in a long time.
"But I do believe there is a certain threshold there of someone coming in one day and breaking it. I do believe in the human biology is possible to push through that, as well."
Tsitsipas played just short of an hour's tennis in the first round of the French Open before opponent and home hope Alexandre Muller retired injured. He faces Matteo Arnaldi in the second round.
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