"Unquestionably the lowest point of Stefanos Tsitsipas' entire career" - Fans react to Greek's shock Canadian Open loss to World No. 576 Kei Nishikori

Stefanos Tsitsipas went through a chastening experience in the second round of the ongoing 2024 National Bank Open in Montreal. The Greek, seeded No. 8 in the men's singles draw at the prestigious ATP Masters 1000 event, was inexplicably outplayed and outfought by World No. 576 Kei Nishikori. Unsurprisingly, tennis fans were quick to react to Tsitsipas' humbling loss.

Tsitsipas was the overwhelming favorite heading into his clash against Kei Nishikori on Thursday, August 8. However, Nishikori, a former World No. 4 (achieved in 2015), seemed to turn back time as he capitalized impressively on the Greek's poor second serve and was particularly devastating at the net.

It took the Japanese veteran only an hour and 19 minutes to put an earlier-than-expected end to the beginning of Tsitsipas' US Open swing. Nishikori hadn't won against a top 20 opponent since 2021, and his seismic win over the Greek saw him become the third lowest-ranked player to seal a place in an ATP Masters 1000 tournament's last 16.

Fans on X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit poured in with their reactions not long after the conclusion of the surprisingly one-sided contest. Several of them voiced their concern for Tsitsipas, who, despite having so far enjoyed a resurgent season, still looks a long way away from his World No. 3 days.

"This is unquestionably the lowest point of Stefanos’s entire career since he became a top player. Nishikori is half retired and has had more injuries than tournament wins since the pandemic," a fan wrote.

"Tsitsipas really not improving and somehow dont have the drive or motivation to stay competitive at the top level. I think he need a new team or his game will just continue to decline. Sad to see him not elevating his level for some years now," commented another fan.

"So happy for Nishikori, but my god is Stefanos backhand getting worse each day," another fan chimed in.

There were others who ridiculed the Greek after his dismal display against the Japanese.

"Badosa’s providing in this household," wrote a fan, referring to Tsitsipas' girlfriend Paula Badosa, who recently won the Mubadala Citi DC Open women's singles title.

"This is who Djokovic gets to play in TWO different grand slam finals by the way," another fan commented, citing the Serb's two wins against the Greek in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.

"The fall of Tsitsipas on hardcourts is insane lol, 3 years ago he was considered probably a top 5 hardcourt player, Now he looks like a pure clay specialist," yet another fan weighed in.

Stefanos Tsitsipas criticized his father and coach Apostolos following his loss to Kei Nishikori

Stefanos Tsitsipas (L) and Apostolos Tsitsipas (R) (Source: Getty)

Tsitsipas expressed his disappointment at the stinging defeat to Nishikori at a press conference after the match. The former World No. 3 also happened to criticize his father Apostolos, who serves as his coach as well.

The Greek astonishingly claimed quite bluntly that Apostolos is reluctant to listen to any feedback, and that the 56-year-old "hasn't been very smart".

"For me an ATP Masters 1000 match is an important match. I need and I deserve a coach that listens to me and hears my feedback as a player. My father hasn't been very smart or very good at handling those situations, it's not the first time he has done that. I'm really disappointed at him," Tsitsipas said.

The Greek needs to swiftly recover from the effects of the damning defeat to Nishikori if he is to muster a deep run at the 2024 US Open, which is set to begin on Sunday, August 26.