MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAú

March 27, 2021

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Press Conference

S. TSITSIPAS/D. Dzumhur

6-1, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What are you most proud of, your first match in the tournament after having a good run last week in Acapulco?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: What am I most proud of last week or this week?

Q. What you're most proud of from your victory today.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, I would say my consistency, and I was returning and serving well. There isn't much I can tell you. It was a great match, especially against a guy that I probably don't have a good record playing against him in the past.

I started the match very strong, breaking him twice and taking a big lead in the score, and I think the things worked out by themself after that.

Q. Tell us where that kind of serving comes from.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Was it that good? I don't know how it feels watching it from outside. Can you confirm it for me?

Q. Well, the numbers were quite good. You were up around 85% on first serves until that last game I think.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: What do you mean, like a percentage?

Q. Yeah.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Oh, really?

Q. Let me put it this way: How did you feel about the way you served?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: It was very positive. I created a lot of opportunities with my serve, and I think I wasn't rushing at all. Yeah, finding the right angles and executing it perfectly.

Even with my second serve I felt like I did a lot of damage, not giving him a chance to press first and apply pressure with his shots.

Q. How much is it in your mind coming into this tournament and even more so now that the so-called big three are not here and the opportunity that creates for you guys, younger guys?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, it's a first test to see how it is playing without them. I might say there is going to be a time in the future where this is going to be more frequent and happening more regularly and maybe even a standard soon.

So, yeah, we get a taste of how it is playing without them. But there is plenty of other good players out there except the top three that can play good either that's on clay, hard, on all surfaces. We have a generation of players that have a good game and can be on top of the game for many, many years.

I have played a lot of them. Shapovalov, de Minaur, Auger-Aliassime are all a great lineup and all doing really well recently, so I see a challenge there.

Q. There is a lot of chatter around, particularly at this tournament without those three, that many people think you're the next guy to come through and possibly or probably win a Grand Slam and everything. Does that make you nervous, or does it give you positive energy? What's your feeling about that kind of conversation?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I love that there is talk about that around a Greek guy, because there hasn't been any Greek player even close to that, so it's great (smiling). I'm honored to be someone who puts the sport at such a high standard, high level, putting Greece into the map. So having people talk about that makes me very happy and gives me ambition.

Q. I want to ask you about your next opponent that is Kei Nishikori that won a very long match, almost three hours. It will be your second match against him after the Tokyo match in 2018. How do you imagine the match here in Miami with Kei?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, it's a place that he trains, so, you know, I guess he's acclimatized to the conditions. He's a player that has played very well in the past, and even now he can raise his level really high.

I'll try and be ready for the battle. It's important for me to have matches against strong opponents like him.

I am very pumped for the match and I'm going to try and put my best performance out there. I'm going to try and take it game by game. It's important to have a clear picture and follow my tactics.

And I'm going to be discussing with my coaches. It's a strong third round, I won't hide it. It's important for me to be ready for that match and be physically prepared.

Q. Kind of an off-beat question, but how do you decide what you're going to write on the camera lens after you win a match? Like today I saw you signed your autograph and you wrote "Bad Boys." Was that spontaneous or kind of planned out?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, I got asked the other day whether I'm a Bad Boys fan or Miami Vice fan, and I happen to be Bad Boys. I prefer Will Smith 100% more.

It came to my mind, you know, Miami is a place that's related to that, and that's where I got my dosage of inspiration.

Q. The conditions you're playing in last week in Acapulco and you come to Miami, a tournament with similar conditions, how do you feel to play with a lot of spectators in Acapulco and now here in Miami?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I wouldn't say the conditions are similar here and Acapulco. They are slightly different.

But I feel happy and bitter at the same time, because I feel like I could have done slightly better in Acapulco, and I was close to clinching or capturing my first 500 title. So that had a bitter taste to it.

But it's a fresh new start for me in Miami. I have an opportunity to show something new and show something that I haven't done before. So I'm going to take it day by day. Let's see where that leads.