US OPEN

August 30, 2023

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Press Conference

D. STRICKER/S. Tsitsipas

7-5, 6-7, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Looks like it's been a tough match but a tough summer. Is that the outcome of changes in your team?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: By no means I'm supposed to put any blame on any people or any members of my team. Everything on court is under my control and under my talents, and the way I can play this sport are shown out on the court. If I'm not able to deliver, then I'm not supposed to be doing well.

That's what happened this summer. I was not good enough to deliver and score good results. I won't blame it on anything. It's just poor performance after Los Cabos. Had a tough transition to Toronto where I dealt with really bad jet lag that I never had such kind of experience on tour.

Had a very difficult match against Gael. I was actually thinking of retiring in that particular occasion but I went in and hoped that I can do something.

Otherwise, the other two results, including the one today, I have no reason to say anything. It was just pure competition. My opponent showed better tennis than I did. I want to congratulate him, because, you know, I consider myself a good player, and I don't want to be a person that can be beaten easily or I'm giving my opponents easy time on the court against me. I try to make it as hard as I can, and if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I move on with my life.

Hopefully I can get better in the future.

Q. Despite that, you still went and signed autographs with the fans. Your thoughts of doing that, where players if they lose, they just go right, and they have their right to do that, yet you still decided to do that. What's your thoughts on that?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: It's not an easy thing to stay there. I saw the little kids, little kids' faces that kind of touched my heart, because I was at their position once upon a time, and I really looked up to players like me in this occasion now. I consider myself someone that kids look up to. Probably not as much as Roger, Rafa, Novak, but I'm somewhere there in the substitutes (smiling).

I kind of had to do it. I did it. It felt good. Although inside of me, I was kind of first thing I want is to leave out of the court and just clear my thoughts, but I had to do it. I hope I made people happy through that.

Q. How would you describe him as a player and what in particular did he do today that gave you trouble?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: His serve was a big weapon that served him really well. He's very loose on the serve. If he gets in the zone, he can hit some really good serves.

I struggled with my movement today a lot, and it was the main issue with my performance, I think. Movement wasn't good at all. Although I did have a match before in which my footwork and my balance was relatively good. I wasn't able to bring that into today's match and be as consistent with it.

I was off-balance, I was getting caught on wrong foot most of the time. The court seemed a bit faster than Armstrong, but that is not an excuse. It's just that sometimes I had chances to hit the ball a bit, go for it a bit more, and I felt like the ball would skid through the court a bit faster, and it had me out of balance and I framed a few times.

Q. I wanted to ask you, serving for the match, you were up 5-2 and then you lost about seven straight games from there. What was going through your mind? And if really the struggle is the mental part of it?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Is that the first set?

Q. No, when you were serving for the match.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: On the fourth? 5-2, right?

Q. Yes, 5-2, yeah. 5-3 you were serving for the match.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: 5-3 I was serving. 5-2 is not possible. 5-3 I was serving, yes.

Look, it hasn't happened to me before. It's the first time for me. Usually I'm much tougher mentally, and I have shown it by coming back. Even though sometimes I get broken serving for the match, let's say, I still find ways in the tiebreaker or perhaps in the fifth set if that has ever happened.

Today was not the case. I was not able to bounce back after it. Not as strong. Yeah, just need to be looser.

Q. Are you sick at all? You were just coughing. Just asking if you're ill.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I think it's the air conditioning in here. It's the transition of temperatures. I was playing in a hot center court a few minutes ago, and it's freezing cold in here. I tend to cough sometimes when that happens.