ATP CUP

January 1, 2022

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Michail Pervolarakis

Apostolos Tsitsipas

Team Greece

Press Conference

Team Poland - 2

Team Greece - 1

THE MODERATOR: Stefanos, first question for you. I know you must be disappointed you didn't play in singles, but it was a great win for you and Michail in the doubles there.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Look, we broke the curse, which has been kind of haunting us for the last four matches and we've lost I think four super tiebreakers very, very close, as you remember, against Germany a few years ago, some Davis Cup ties we had too. Australia, again, ATP Cup last year, Australia.

So I'm glad we pulled it through and did what we do the best out there and stayed really dedicated to the game when we had to and I think we pushed ourselves a little bit more than usual, which gave us result we wanted.

Q. Obviously very nice win and a lot of close matches. How did it feel just to do that for your country and get a win after all those tight points?

MICHAIL PERVOLARAKIS: Yeah. Unfortunately, like I said before, it wasn't a deciding tie. The win still means something. The groups are not yet to be decided and every single set might count at the end of the day.

So, yeah, really happy that we're able to get that win finally after four really, really close matches, and let's hope we can do it again, especially in the decider match.

Q. Obviously Aristotelis had a very short turnaround to get in and play, but he showed well for himself, and a lot of the commentators were impressed with his potential. I'm just curious what went into your decision and how you decided that.

APOSTOLOS TSITSIPAS: You talk about the choice of the second player? It was not an easy decision. I think our practice and our preparation last week it was decided my choice today. I saw a lot of commitment and he wanted to play in a big stage and his performance all the preparation week was really good and so he, I think he came in and he played good tennis.

But against Hurkacz, it's not easy, but it was a good experience for the young Greek players for the future.

Q. Stef, you already said a lot of what you had to say, I'm sure, but how pleased were you with how you felt in the doubles and how you were able to play?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Look, honestly, we had a really good chemistry going on on the court. Obviously I'm trying to learn from my mistakes when I play. We've played with Michail a few times and I really want to build something with him on the doubles field and I think we have potential. I think we can. We proved ourselves plenty and showed the world that we were able to play good doubles. I just didn't want the same emotions and the same feelings to occupy my head when coming close to the end of the match.

And for me, I kept pushing him and he kept pushing me. We were really committed point by point, and taking the past mistakes and using them to our advantage was the most important thing to do today.

APOSTOLOS TSITSIPAS: I think he enjoyed the tiebreak and it was an important factor to overcome this challenge.

Q. You guys seem to be taking it in turns and putting ice packs on your right arms. Stefanos, before the match we expected you to go on there, and then seeing you sitting court side with a big ice pack on your right elbow, it seemed to raise alarm bells as to how your elbow's feeling after what you've been through. So can you just maybe indicate what the situation is.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: My elbow has been better than ever before. I'm truly relieved that I'm able to feel normal again after years and years of suffering. The concern was kind of something that I expected, but it's not serious. I'm just trying to protect it.

As I said, I've been using some muscles that I haven't been able to use before and it takes a little bit of time to get into the rhythm and get to the level I want to. If I'm not able to perform at 100 percent for me there's no reason for me to go out there and play. I might as well just give a chance to someone like Aristotelis Thanos, who is really willing to try his strengths against a top player like Hubert and give that opportunity to him.

And I don't regret any of my decisions. There was a lot of thought behind it and it kind of hurts because I do want the best for the team. I'm not thinking only, I'm not playing as an individual. I see that as a team effort and I would love to go out there on the court today and play my best tennis, but I decided to take it a bit easier with the doubles, by starting with the doubles, that's what I meant.

Q. So is there any sort of concern at all in your mind for the rest of this Australian season? I mean, I know there's still a couple of weeks still to go before the Australian Open, and are you feeling pretty much confident about everything?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I'm feeling confident about everything. I had a doctor that did a great job and has worked with athletes with similar type of injuries. I think with the right amount of training rehabilitation and time, time will show, time will give me the opportunity to fully have my arm healed and recovered from this tough surgery that I had and I think in one week time I'll be very, very close to 100 percent.