NATIONAL BANK OPEN

August 14, 2021

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Press Conference

R. OPELKA/S. Tsitsipas

6-7, 7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What was in your mind in the last set? You seemed very frustrated. Obviously Opelka's serve was very difficult to return. Was that the main cause of your frustration or was it something else? Were the conditions a bit difficult to handle?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Nothing was too difficult to handle. It was played on the details, and he prevailed. It didn't go my way when it had to, and it's all right. I feel like there is hope for next time.

Q. You have had a bit of trouble against big servers in the past, I think even against Raonic, you've struggled to get breakpoints. Is that something that you think is, I would say, missing in your game right now, the ability to get returns back in? Is that something you're going to work on?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Yeah, for sure. It's not that I'm not working on that. I'm spending lots of hours trying to perfect that, but it's not very easy, as you know. The speeds reach up close to 230, 240 kilometers per hour. Even with the best anticipation, it still makes it very difficult for also one-handed backhand guy to return those serves.

Q. What did you struggle with the most today?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: The serve, his serve. I think it was quite clear for all the people out there (smiling).

Q. I was wondering if maybe part of the concentration was also a little bit of a struggle?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Yeah, you know, it is. And when you get no rhythm, it's also kind of difficult, sometimes feel and get the shots that you had before. It kind of ruins your game very silently, very slow.

The main factor there is just to forget all that and just play. That's how most of these guys win. It's not that I was scared or afraid of. It's just I was missing shots in the rallies. I was missing experience from the baseline rallies that I could have had better understanding of how to play and where to play. I had very few of those opportunities, and it kind of cost me at the end.

Q. You have a tendency to drive the backhand with topspin instead of using slice. It's just your game. Do you think against big servers like this maybe it would serve you better to use the slice a bit more? And is that something you would work on for the future? Or do you just prefer hitting topspin backhands all the time?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, it's combining it both. I mean, also slicing too much can cause harm, as well. You know, you have to keep it balanced.

I feel very confident with my backhand, and sometimes, you know, I do understand that I'm not slicing enough, but that's also for a reason. My backhand, my topspin on one-hand backhand is a shot that I trust a lot and has helped me win many matches.

It's very rare that I have, in my previous match encounters, that I have really won a match because of slicing really well. That has happened but not that much. On the other hand, my one-handed backhand has saved me and helped me to get important wins in my career.

Yeah, I mean, I want to use it more, but I think my weapons are clear. That's from nature.