Felix Auger-Aliassime highlights one area where Stefanos Tsitsipas improved significantly in Dubai title-winning campaign

Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime has highlighted one aspect of Stefanos Tsitsipas’s play that has helped him immensely in clinching the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship 2025. The 26-year-old lifted his first-ever ATP 500 title in Dubai on Saturday as he defeated Auger Aliassime in the final in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.

Auger Aliassime, while talking to the media after the match, highlighted one area where Greek tennis has improved immensely, which helped him clinch the title. He was of the opinion that Tsitsipas’s backhand had improved immensely, something he had never seen him do before.

“I have to give him some credit. He’s been returning better,” said Auger Aliassime. “I’ve never seen him return like this from the backhand that deep, that fast. Have to give him some credit, for sure. But on my part, I thought it was going to be a little bit better than that.”

The result is an important one for Tsitsipas, who had a lean patch after winning the Monte Carlo Masters last year. This win also helped him regain a spot in the top-10 in ATP rankings. On the other hand, the result is another setback for Auger-Aliassime, who has now lost as many as 11 ATP events finals. It was his first defeat in the final of an ATP event this year in three outings. In a post on his official account on the social media platform Instagram, the 24-year-old expressed optimism about coming back stronger in the rest of the season.

“Wasn’t meant to be for me in Dubai this evening – all the credit to Stef and his team for the amazing match he played,” he wrote. “I’m proud of all the battles I went through to get to the final and am feeling pumped to see what the rest of the season will hold. Thank you for all the love. Until next time.”