Hubert Hurkacz makes his feelings known on Stefanos Tsitsipas' shocking Australian Open 1R exit

Hubert Hurkacz made his feelings known on Stefanos Tsitsipas' shock defeat at the 2025 Australian Open on Monday, January 13. Tsitsipas, the World No. 11, lost to unseeded youngster Alex Michelsen in the first round.

Michelsen rattled Tsitsipas, the 2023 finalist in Melbourne, by taking the first two sets but the Greek found some rhythm in the third set to cut the difference in half; however, the American eventually proved too good and won 7-5, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

Following the result, Sportskeeda caught up with Hubert Hurkacz, the No. 18 seed from Poland, and asked if the early defeat of a seeded player like Tsitsipas in a big tournament like the Australian Open added more pressure on him as a fellow seed, given the competition is tough.

"No, not at all, I mean, it doesn’t make any difference," the Pole said in an exclusive chat after an intense practice session on Court 24 at Melbourne Park. "You just prepare as best as you can. You know, there’s so many good guys out here in the draw so it’s just… gotta keep up your best level because if you’re not gonna be on top of your game, everyone’s out there to get you."

Hurkacz will start his campaign on Tuesday, January 14, against Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor in the first round. He has played against Griekspoor four times thus far and their head-to-head tally stands tied at 2-2.

This will notably be the World No. 17's first Grand Slam with a new coaching set-up including Ivan Lendl and Nicolas Massu.

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Hubert Hurkacz on coaching change: "I wanna learn new things"

In Picture: Hubert Hurkacz with his ex-coach Craig Boynton. (Getty)

Further during the exclusive conversation with Sportskeeda at the 2025 Australian Open, Hubert Hurkacz reflected on bringing in Nicolas Massu, an eight-time Grand Slam champion and 2004 Olympics gold medalist in singles and doubles, as coach. Hurkacz previously worked with American Craig Boynton.

"Of course, I wanna grow, I wanna learn new things," Hurkacz said. "We had amazing time working with CB [Craig Boynton] for so many years and I think it was a great moment for us."

The Pole trained under Boynton for five years before parting ways in August 2024.

The coach helped Hurkacz win eight singles titles, including the 2023 Shanghai Masters and 2021 Miami Masters. Under the American, the tennis pro peaked at a career-high ranking of World No. 6 the same month the split was announced.