Stefanos Tsitsipas has announced that he is no longer hindered by the physical issues that affected his ranking last year. Currently ranked No. 43, he is seeded No. 7 at the Almaty ATP 250 and is determined to enhance his performance this season in hopes of securing a better seeding at the Grand Slams in 2027.

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Speaking after signing autographs for fans on Sunday, Tsitsipas expressed relief that his health now allows him to play extensively. "Last year, I didn’t have a healthy body, and it affected my ranking and my confidence. But now suddenly I can have long runs without being affected by it, so that is a big relief for me. I know I can get back to the top. I genuinely believe that. If I want to play every single week, now I know I can without any concerns," he stated.

His renewed health has led him to participate in more tournaments this autumn than usual. "Normally, I wouldn’t be playing that many tournaments, but I’m trying to accumulate as many points as possible at the end of the season," he said. "I want to close the season strongly in order to be seeded at the Grand Slams and avoid big names in the early rounds of the big tournaments. I feel next season will be more about me being hunted than hunting, like this year when I was genuinely hunting to get back to where I belong."

Tsitsipas, who won the Gstaad title earlier this season, believes he has made significant progress since the second half of the year, largely thanks to his new team member Thomas Perrin from the Mouratoglou Academy. "Thomas brings calmness to the team, and that’s what I need. I need someone who understands me and my decision-making process. He’s a very collaborative person and he’s open-minded and sees things exactly how I see them," he explained.

He also noted that keeping his father out of a coaching role has strengthened their relationship: "I love my father as a father, and I want to keep the coaching part out of my relationship with him because now it has never been better." Tsitsipas acknowledged that Patrick Mouratoglou remains a valuable asset to his team.

The Greek player reached the final of this event in 2022, when it took place in Astana, but lost to Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4. He will begin his campaign against Aleksandar Kovacevic of the United States, with the winner set to meet Kazakh wildcard Mikhail Kukushkin in the second round.