WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 20, 2022

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Press Conference

S. TSITSIPAS/D. Medvedev

7-6, 3-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. A long day obviously waiting to play your match. How did you stay focused and stay prepared for this?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, I knew it was not going to go in my favor every single time. Tennis is about percentages and numbers. You know, it's rare that you see a percentage of 70/30 or even sometimes 55/45 when it comes to winning points.

So it's all in the details. As long as I can stay within a margin, stay close, and exceed that margin at some point, I knew I was in the right path, I was heading there. I just had to hold him tight, not too tight, but stay loose at the same time.

He got really tight, I think, with the first serves, wasn't putting a lot of first serves in, gave me a double fault in the last few games of the third set.

I felt like the ball wasn't really flying off his racquet. I felt like he was trying too hard, and that's when I knew that I pushed him there, and it was something that I did over many consecutive rallies, a lot of physical effort. I knew that was my opportunity to go and strike.

Q. Your thoughts going into the final against Borna tomorrow.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I'm prepared for it. I know it's not an easy task playing against him. You know, he's coming back from an injury, he's playing great tennis, and he's going to work very hard for it.

Q. You came to the net a lot tonight. Is it something you prepared with your team before the match, was a tactic like cut his rhythm to come to the net tonight?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, we play tennis that way too sometimes. It's not only from the baseline. I decided I want to play like this tonight.

Q. How difficult or was it not that difficult to not play in the doubles tonight and just focus on tomorrow?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, obviously it's a difficult decision, because we had good memories with Holger so far. I even told him I'd like to further pursue more and more doubles with you in the near future.

Well, it's unfortunate, but I would do the same if it was for him and I completely understand the scenario. I have had to witness that a few years ago in Madrid, and it was not very good for my body having to play the final of singles the next day.

So I guess it comes with experience. It's something that's going to be not so much for tomorrow when it comes to the singles but also, you know, physically kind of the loading physically that I'm going to put to myself prior to US Open.