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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 6, 2018

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Wimbledon, London, England

S. TSITSIPAS/T. Fabbiano

6-2, 6-1, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. After the first round, I was here and I told you you probably that you are the player that dives the most right now on tour, and then you did it again into the second round, videos everywhere, and you didn't do any today. What do you think of the reputation...
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, when I step out on the court, it's not a priority for me to do a diving shot during the match. It's not on my mind. It just comes at a certain moment, maybe a crucial moment where I really need to win the point, and the only solution is to dive. Today it didn't happen because things went exactly as planned.

I mean, a bit on the third set not exactly, I mean, but he fought back, he tried to stay in the game, but it was super important that I managed to psychologically remain stable and play my game, and was very important that I have to win the third set because you never know what can happen after.

Q. I talked a little bit to Patrick Mouratoglou about you yesterday. He was very impressed with your fighting spirit. I know you're Greek and Russian heritage, your parents are Russian and Greek. Where does that come from? Is that the Greek side of you? The Russian side? Or both?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Sparta.

Q. Sparta?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Yeah.

Q. Have you always been a fighter?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, after watching the movie, yeah (smiling).

I'm kidding, I'm kidding. No, no, no, yeah, I have been a fighter. It's something that -- I was a fighter and I hated losing since a very young age. Back in the day, I used to compete with children my age, in my age group in Greece, and then I moved on to tennis Europe level.

But I've always wanted to be the best from a very young age. I just hated losing. That's why I was always fighting and never -- I mean, yeah, even my parents told me this, so I'm not surprised.

Q. You're the first Greek man I think in the open era to make the fourth round of any Grand Slam. What's that mean to you in terms of representing your country?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: It's amazing. It's an amazing feeling, and I feel very proud that I represent Greece and that all of my hard work has paid off. I feel extremely proud that I can be the first Greek in the open era, as you said, in the fourth round of a Grand Slam.

There is so much satisfaction. There is so much -- it's just such nice feelings to be the first from your country to do so, so, yeah, it's amazing.

Q. Greece has a great sporting tradition, obviously, in many different sports. Why not tennis, do you think? Do you think maybe your success can increase the interest?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I just think it's not in the culture yet, and people don't take tennis that seriously like other sports. It just happens not to be in the culture, and I think with results, yeah, good results in big names coming from Greece that can prove that there are good tennis players, I think they can inspire young kids.

Yeah, as I said, young kids can go out more and choose other sports instead of football or basketball, so they can go and play tennis, start playing tennis.

I think it can all start by doing, you know, first of all, media. The media can have a big impact on that. So the media, and then as a sportsperson, you can -- you can just expose yourself and be the first person that can make tennis a big thing in Greece.

Q. You played each of the last three days. Now you'll have two days off until you play again. You haven't experienced that at a major before. What do you plan to do over the weekend? How will you keep from kind of getting a little bit overexcited about this achievement and stay grounded?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: As you said, I need to stay grounded. The tournament is not over yet. It's just half of the tournament that I have played.

It's good that I'll have opportunity to have two days off. It's good for my body to recover at 100%.

Not that good, not so good for my rhythm, because I have been playing -- you know, I had the breaks once every -- sorry, after every match I had one day off, and then I had to play the next day.

So maybe for my rhythm, so I will try to practice, play few tiebreak sets to stay in my form. But, yeah, tomorrow I will just, you know, take it a little bit easier than the other days and have a light practice and just do something else.

Q. Barcelona final, Estoril semis, now here. Suddenly you're in the spotlight. Everybody wants a piece of you. You're hot property. What do you feel has changed around you and in yourself these past weeks?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, I would say the hard work I have been doing at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, I started working with them three years ago, and since the time I started working with them, I think it was Wimbledon 2015, the year I played juniors, so, yeah, since the day I started with them, incorporating, and we have been doing a very, very good job, and my team, I was surrounded by very good people that care about me, people that want the best for me. It's very important to have a very good solid team around me that supports me 100%.

It's just, you know, all this hard work, as I said, has paid off. All the sacrifices I have done and I have made since my childhood, you know, to leave my home and travel, and my dad had to quit his job and everything. So it's slowly, slowly paying off.

Q. My question had more to do with people -- why do you feel people treat you differently? Yourself, are you still the same or what has changed?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I try to behave and act the same. I mean, I try. It's not easy because people, they are always around. No, but I'm trying to stay the same person. Nothing has changed. Maybe some bad results in the past, but, you know, with success there is a lot of attention, I guess.

So I just need to stay grounded, you know. It's gonna come. I mean, my goals are far away from what I have set for this year, and I just need to stay grounded and keep on doing the work I have been doing all this year.

Q. You just mentioned that your dad quit his job to follow your career. How much of a burden was that when you were younger? Clearly it's been a good decision. If so, at what point did it not become a burden?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Don't become...

Q. Like tough to carry with you? Pressure?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, in the beginning, as a kid, I had a completely different eye of this, like, different perspective and everything and different look. But now I do, I appreciate it more than I did before, because I do understand how this world works and how tough it is to, you know, leave certain things behind.

So, yeah, it was a very tough decision for my dad to do this, because I didn't have anyone to travel with. I mean, it was my mom, but she had, you know, to take care of my other siblings, three more siblings. It was not easy, so my dad had to -- I don't know if he had a choice, but he just risked it. He just quit himself and start traveling with me.

As I said yesterday, I do appreciate what he did for me, because it's amazing. Not many fathers would do this for their son.

Q. Wimbledon is different from the other tournaments because we have the players come to the Village and live in a house. What kind of setup do you have here? Is it the same as previous years? Do you enjoy having a house in the Village kind of thing compared to what you maybe have in Roland Garros or New York?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, to be honest with you, it's a better atmosphere than the other Grand Slams. I feel a bit more like this home environment more. You're not staying in a hotel, which is very good. You get to feel more like you're home.

I'm staying in a nice house this week. Apparently the guy who owns the house has a massive collection of DVDs and movies (smiling).

So I'm watching, like, a different movie every single day. That's interesting, you know. The location is pretty close from here, which is good. I have many family members that came to support me this week and many friends. So the atmosphere overall is fantastic.

Q. First time in this house?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Yes. I'm not that obsessed with the place I'm going to stay, depending on my results, whatever.

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