AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 16, 2024

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Petros Tsitsipas

Press Conference

ALTMAIER-REYES-VARELA/Tsitsipas-Tsitsipas

7-5, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Bad luck, guys. Go straight into questions.

Q. What are you thinking in terms of how much you're going to be doing this this year? Obviously you have a goal with the Olympics, is that the idea?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, let me just say it's much improvement already having press conferences for doubles. I'm not used to that (smiling). So that's a great sign right there.

I think today's match was probably one of the worst we have played together so far. I have a good idea when I analyze matches, I can see what went wrong and what lacked.

Today our return was very poor. We were unable to make a lot of play with our return games.

We were not facing as the biggest servers on the tour. There is some sort of demand at some point where we need to somehow find solutions to make play. We were not able to climatize to that. We did have some breakpoint opportunities. I ripped a backhand down the line, which missed barely the line, like it barely touched the line, it was out. I think that would have been the biggest moment there because it would have given us the set.

Me and Petros were hoping to play more. I think we just need to, I believe we need to get it more, get together on a more regular basis. We are kind of on and off. There are some periods where we play; some other periods where we are not playing doubles. Petros has his own thing going on on the challenger and ATP 250 tour. Me, I have been playing singles most of my life.

I just think we need more matches together to get to know each other, because today we were kind of out of tune, and I didn't feel like we synchronize as well as we usually do.

Q. Did you enjoy the vibe out on that court with the bar on the side of it, or did you find it a bit noisy, or were you expecting more Greek people to be there?

PETROS TSITSIPAS: I actually was on that court yesterday. I was watching Paula play on that court. It's a very weird concept, in my opinion. It's way too accessible, in a way, for the public to -- it was a bit noisy, as well, so it's not so easy to concentrate. But obviously the smaller courts are always like that in slams. You know, there is a lot going on with the people, with, you know, shouting also on other courts.

But definitely that's not something so important, you know. The most important thing is to perform, to go out and perform in a slam.

I think personally my level was below 4 today. Probably, also part of it also could be of me not getting used to that match court. Obviously playing in match courts, practicing in match courts is also very important. I didn't get to have that this week.

In my opinion, the practice courts are quite different. But, yeah, it's also just a bad day in the office. It's just sad it happened in a slam, for me.

I think Stef played very well, served very well. I mean, both of us could definitely have been a bit better, but I think he did his job exceptionally well for a singles player. I didn't help him at all. Maybe few times, but I was not in the mindset and in the zone to enter the match mentally.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I wouldn't blame it to anything. I wouldn't blame it to the open-bar concept. I just believe we need to get better, both of us; I need to get better, Petros needs to get better. I know how much effort and how much practice goes on in Petros' daily life in order to excel in the doubles field.

Of course I'm disappointed for today, because I wanted something good with my brother, but we just need to take the right steps and move towards the right direction to get to the place that we deserve to be.

Q. Could you hear the DJ and the music?

PETROS TSITSIPAS: Yeah. You could hear it in, let's say, a little bit. You can realize it two, three times inside the match that it can be a bit distracting. But as I said, it's a normal concept for that to happen in outside courts. It's always like that. It's always been like that, I feel like. Even in other slams like US Open you can hear lots of noise sometimes. You just need to be able to, as a tennis player, to block it out and perform.

Q. It was reported in Berlin overnight that Alexander Zverev will face a trial over domestic violence charges. We know he denies those allegations, but is it appropriate for him to remain on the players council and play while that trial is taking place?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I will not say on that. I don't know the situation. I'm completely unfamiliar with it. I have nothing to comment on it.

Q. Just on the noise issue, it reminded me of Frances has said and some other players have said, to be more friendly to the fans, you know, people should be allowed to walk around during matches like they do in other sports. Is that something that would bother you, given that you're playing on this court where there is a bar and there is a lot of activity?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: You see, trying to think about it, you could argue that it should be sort of imposed and done in other sports too, but tennis is a very different sport to football, for example, and even basketball, you know. There is a flow of traffic and people going in and out when a game of basketball is being played, from what I know.

Yes, it would be a new change towards the direction that modernizes tennis and makes it more sort of entertainment style, let's call it, but you don't know until you're a tennis player, when you're trying to zone in, get in the zone, it's difficult when you see movement and when you see stuff happening around you.

You know, there is a tiny little yellow ball flying around, and it requires your concentration sometimes over 100%. If that can affect you at 5%, we're in trouble. So I don't know what the science behind it is. I would like for people to sort of do experiments and try and see how much it affects concentration. But today, for example, you just mentioned about the DJ and stuff, I just kind of remembered, it was somewhere in my subconscious where I could feel the movement and all that kind of action going on in the background.

I'm not a huge fan of it. That's why Wimbledon is one of my favorite tournaments, because there is silence and you can just concentrate and focus on your game.

I have had a similar experience at the US Open. So not a fan. Hopefully one day. But for now, not quite there.