Stefanos Tsitsipas' comments have not aged well after early Wimbledon defeats

Stefanos Tsitsipas has been left with egg on his face following his premature exit from this year's Wimbledon. The Greek ace retired early from his match against Valentin Royer on Monday, having trailed 6-3, 6-2 at the time.

Tsitsipas raised eyebrows in his post-match interview, as he cast doubts over his future in the sport altogether. The 12-time ATP Tour title winner revealed he's been dealing with an ongoing back issue, but won't undergo surgery to correct the problem.

As such, he has been left in the lurch somewhat, with fears the 26-year-old might have to take a step back from the sport. Tsitsipas hasn't been the only big-name casualty from the first couple of days at Wimbledon, with several seeded players having fallen victim to a first-round exit.

Amongst the several male and female players to do so are Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, who once upon a time were being tipped to dominate the sport in the years to come. Including himself in the prediction, Tsitsipas mused in 2021 that he, Medvedev and Zverev could go on to make up part of tennis' next 'Big Three'.

In an interview with Sport Bild, he explained: "Currently there is only one big player: Novak Djokovic. He's still the best in the world. But Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and I come right behind. We can become the next big three."

On the back of the trio's latest exit from Wimbledon, coupled with the emergence of talents like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, it's difficult to see that dream ever becoming a reality. Not least because following the 2025 edition of Wimbledon, neither Tsitsipas or Zverev have ever made it beyond the fourth round of the grass court major.

What's more, the duo are also Slam-less in their careers so far, with both having lost in previous finals. Tsitsipas was beaten in the 2021 French Open final before losing at the same stage in the 2023 Australian Open. Meanwhile, Zverev, who is widely considered the best current player in the world never to have won a Slam, lost in the 2020 US Open, 2024 French Open and most recently, 2025 Australian Open finals.

Medvedev has fared slightly better in recent years, having made the semi-finals on two occasions, firstly in 2023 and then 12 months later in 2024. And while the Russian does at least have a Grand Slam title to his name, Medvedev has failed to add to his 2021 US Open triumph.