French Open: Stefanos Tsitsipas in profile

Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas returns to the French Open this year looking to avenge his loss in the 2021 final and win his maiden Grand Slam.

The Athens native has risen quickly to the forefront of men's tennis since recording his first ATP Tour victory in 2017. He has claimed nine ATP titles since then, including victory at the 2019 ATP Finals aged just 21 on his debut appearance at the event.

A tall and powerful player who operates efficiently all around the court, the Greek star is known for his composure and calm nature during matches, despite his aggressive style of play. He has often been compared with his idol and tennis legend Roger Federer.

Tsitsipas will hope 2023 is the year he can claim his first Grand Slam title after falling at the final hurdle twice, including a straight sets loss in the final of the Australian Open in January.

Close calls in Paris

The 24-year-old has a decent record in Paris in recent years, reaching the semi-final in 2020 and going one step further in 2021 when he took a two-set lead in the final before losing in a five-set thriller, both losses came against then world number one Novak Djokovic.

Tsitsipas has enjoyed good form on clay in his career, winning back-to-back Monte Carlo Masters titles in 2021 and 2022, while also reaching the finals of both the Madrid and Italian Open, all of which were played on clay. 

He has previously claimed it is his favoured surface as it is the most common court to be found in his home country of Greece. Despite this he underperformed in Paris last year, crashing out in the fourth round to Danish youngster Holger Rune.

The Greek star is seeded fifth for the tournament this year and can be backed at 10/1 to put last year's disappointment behind him and claim his first Grand Slam at the French Open.

A place among the tennis pantheon 

Tsitsipas currently sits at number five in the ATP world rankings but has achieved a career high of world number three in 2022. He has not drifted outside of the top 10 since his ATP Finals victory in 2019.

While rivals Djokovic and Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz are considered the elite talents in the men's game currently, there is certainly scope for Tsitsipas to challenge that order in 2023.

Carlos Alcaraz: Changing of the guard

At just 24 years old he has already reached two Grand Slam finals, only to be defeated in both events by all-time great Djokovic, something many top players can relate to.

It is not hard to imagine that Tsitsipas's maiden slam could be just around the corner. If he continues his good form on clay that breakthrough moment could well be in Paris this year.

He is available at 9/2 to Win 1+ Grand Slam titles this year, or 50/1 to Win 2+ of the remaining three Slams of the season.