ATP CUP

January 31, 2021

Apostolos Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Michail Pervolarakis

Markos Kalovelonis

Petros Tsitsipas

Team Greece

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How proud are you to have two of your kids representing Greece in ATP Cup 2021?

APOSTOLOS TSITSIPAS: I am proud, but I am proud that I have all these four guys here. We are a team. You know, we need each other. I don't want to stay on that, that my kids are in the national team and in ATP Cup team.

It's a team job.

Q. What are your thoughts on your previous battling with Alex de Minaur and looking ahead to Wednesday?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I always had big fights against him. He has improved a lot since recent years, so he's coming from a very good run that he had in Antalya a few weeks ago. He looks like he's playing well. I need to be prepared well for that battle. There's an extra reason for me to go out and represent, play well. It's not just for me, it's also for the boys and the captain here.

There's a lot of support that we're going to have this week. I'm very, very happy and glad that we have such a huge army backing us up.

Q. What makes it particularly tough? As an opponent, what are the qualities?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: He's covering the court really well. His speed is something tremendous. He can run and get balls out of nowhere. That's what makes him very dangerous.

A few of the things such as his serve and his volley game probably not his best, but he manages to balance it pretty well on court. He knows his strengths and weaknesses. Obviously he has different plans if it doesn't work.

APOSTOLOS TSITSIPAS: He's playing in his country.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: He's playing in his country. He loves playing for Australia. You can see that. For him, it's going to be an extra reason for him to go out there and play well.

Q. How do you feel about playing in front of fans in the crowd again?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Can you repeat the question?

Q. How much are you looking forward to playing in front of fans in the crowd?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: We didn't really have much of it during the year, so it's our first opportunity to play in front of a crowd. People are going to be cheering our name, and being louder than any other nation, it's great.

Greeks are very proud, and especially the Greeks of Australia. They are twice as proud as back home.

Q. You talked about your brother, you wanted to see a rap collaboration with your brother and Nick Kyrgios. Can we talk about this now?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Collaboration? What kind of collaboration?

Q. You've talked about both of them loving rap.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Rap? Oh, yeah. I think the best guy to answer this would be my brother, not me.

Q. What do you think of that idea? Something you'd be interested in?

PETROS TSITSIPAS: Collaboration? I don't think Nick is into doing music so much. I don't know. I recently got into music. I'm creating some songs from now and then. It's nothing serious.

Hopefully it turns to something serious, but it's just for fun.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I think we can manage a way to push Nick to get along and help us out. At least he'll for once get creative and be part of something important, you know. Music is a great thing that we have.

APOSTOLOS TSITSIPAS: Actually I've seen his last interview. He said he didn't miss tennis so much.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Really? Well, he might miss music after making some music with us (laughter).

Q. Yesterday were you able to go out to anyplace to eat? What did that feel like to have an environment that was close to what we all took for granted prepandemic?

MICHAIL PERVOLARAKIS: I was able to go to some people from the Greek community. They had kind of like a party, yeah. So it was great. After two weeks of being in the room, being able to get out, walk around the city, have a coffee, sit at a restaurant, it's great. It's great to be out, yeah.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Let's put it a little better; it was the Cretan community. Mike is from an island, Crete, which is a very proud island. It's really nice to see people from an island unite and have something important like this take place.

Q. Around sharing this experience with your family, what do you get out of these types of experiences?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: What am I getting?

Q. How much do you enjoy this and being able to share something?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: This honestly is my favorite event. It reminds me a little bit of Laver Cup, only I feel, I don't know, the leader and the one that gives us the opportunity for this to take place and happen.

It's a responsibility. I feel that we're given a very good opportunity and chance to be standing right here now, being able to compete with all the boys that I've known for so long.

It's a great thing. Laver Cup, I only understood that it became my favorite tournament once it was completed. Obviously we won. It's a big bonus. It's a big correlation, Laver Cup and ATP Cup. I feel the pride very much. It's definitely one of my favorite tournaments of the year. It unites us, it gives us the opportunity to play for something more special, to play, feel proud when we're out on the court playing tennis.

APOSTOLOS TSITSIPAS: Can I ask a question? Can I be a journalist? Do you think there have to be more teams involved in the ATP Cup? I think it would be not a bad idea. What do you think, guys?

MARKOS KALOVELONIS: Hello (laughter). I have to answer?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: You can answer in Russian.

APOSTOLOS TSITSIPAS: How do you feel more teams involved in ATP Cup, more nations?

MARKOS KALOVELONIS: I think is a good idea actually. I think last year was more correct, the system last year. I mean, my opinion.

APOSTOLOS TSITSIPAS: So it was more complete, let's say?

MARKOS KALOVELONIS: Yes.

APOSTOLOS TSITSIPAS: So you can forward that.

MARKOS KALOVELONIS: It's difficult this year probably with the pandemic.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: You see like small countries have the opportunity to play and perform. That gives them so much experience, so much hope that they can achieve something important in tennis, which is really big boost for the smaller nations.

You know, there are opportunities everywhere. They lay everywhere. Even if you just get lucky a little bit, win the doubles, you can still beat a big nation and create opportunities for other players' careers, which is a beautiful thing to see.

Q. Stefanos, top players spent the quarantine in Adelaide. Do you think it was a good decision from Tennis Australia?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I'm here; I'm living in the now. I don't really mind what happened in Adelaide. I wasn't there. I wasn't part of it. It's not something I'm concerned with.

Q. Why do you decided to close your Twitter account?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Do what, sorry?

Q. Why do you decided to close your Twitter account?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Twitter account? Yeah, that's a long story. I didn't delete anything. I don't know what happened. I'm trying to resolve this issue. I didn't delete my Twitter account.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, everyone.