MUTUA MADRID OPEN

April 27, 2024

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Press Conference

T. MONTEIRO/S. Tsitsipas

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Stef.

Q. Stefanos, just wondering how you felt you played today and how tough it was to play him.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, I had a very good opponent on the other side of the net. He was coming up with great shots and punishing me every single time I played short. Didn't manage to get the depth of the court.

He was very aggressive, very persistent. His first-serve percentage was pretty high, very good first-serve percentage of about 86%, I believe so, 82%.

I just wish I was able to return the way I did in the last game. I felt out of rhythm the entire match on my returns. I felt very disbalanced and just, like, my body was going all over the place.

Q. Stef, you had such a strong start to the clay court season. What was different today? Did you feel any fatigue?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I would just like to congratulate my opponent. I have nothing to say on behalf of me. Great match from his side. This is tennis.

Q. This is not a question about the match, but today is a very special day here in Madrid. It can be the last match of Rafa Nadal here. I don't know if you can tell us a little bit how has inspired you, Rafa, to improve your game on clay specifically?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: What do you mean, his last match? In Madrid?

Q. In Madrid. Can be his last match today here in Madrid. I don't know if you can explain us how has Rafa improved your game on clay, if you have something specific that you have learned?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, a lot of the big clay court titles that I have won is due to him, I think. His game serves as a source of inspiration for other players to try and pick and take the best qualities that he has on the clay court. This is something that he has been doing extremely well over more than a decade.

So I try and apply some of the things that he has been using very effectively and accurately within his abilities and apply them to my game. I feel like he has been a great example of what clay court tennis should be and how it should be played. After all, he's been the greatest that has passed in our sport.

It's a shame not to see him again in Madrid. I think his legacy will live on forever. He has done some absolutely stellar performances and broken records that I don't think will be broken again in tennis.

Q. Given how well you were playing and the results you got earlier in the month, does that make it easier or harder to process something like this? What is your process when you have a disappointment like this but you still have chances, you know, with the two biggest tournaments of the clay court season coming up ahead?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I just focus on the beauties of life, you know. Tennis is there. You know, I get to play tennis every single day. Blessed that I get the chance to go out on the court and play it. You know, there are going to be a lot of days like this within the next, I hope, 15 years of my career.

It's not a great feeling, of course, but I have to accept it and move on. I did a few mistakes. I was not perhaps 100% ready for this match, and my opponent was 100% ready for this match. Therefore, he walked away with the victory. He was just much more there. His senses were more present and he prevailed.

What I'm taking away from this is I saw a few improvements that I managed to make throughout the match. They were quite late. They came quite late during the match. But I think I try and understand from these improvements that I made and reinforce them next time I step out on the court and I'm faced with the same situation again, playing a player who is hungry to beat me, playing a player who is literally grinding, has played a few challengers in the last few months, and these are the type of opponents that for sure you should be more alert being faced against.

I really have to continue with humility that I have been showing the last few months and focus on the process that comes with our sport.

Q. And having had success early in the clay court season, does that help?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: If that's helpful? Of course you would like to maximize and go as big as you can in all the tournaments. At the end of the day, this is what you're working for, the consistency that comes with it.

If you can really go as big as 6,000 points in a clay court swing, which I have counted is the maximum you can achieve on the clay court swing, it's approximately 6,000, that's a great goal to have that you can work towards and aim for perhaps not 6,000 but as close to that as possible.

Now I am maybe a step back of even achieving that, so minus 1000, and I just have to keep on working for the points, because I really want to get out on the court to fight for the points that I feel like belong to me, and of course reach new heights in terms of my ranking and my performance this season.

Q. I know you practiced with a Jordanian player, Abdullah Shelbayh. I think he even warmed you up today, I'm not sure. Can you tell me a bit about what you make of his game and what kind of potential you feel he has?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I really believe he's a top-100 player in the future, and I'm pretty convinced he can be top 50, as well.

Now, I think the barrier between a top-50 player and top 100, there is some work to be done there in order to get to the top 50. I would love to see him succeed and be good, because I really support small countries like this that make it big in tennis. I have come from one myself.

He's a good kid. I really like him. I haven't absorbed too much of how he goes about his training regimen and his workouts, but if he's really dedicated, I feel like and if he really sets his mind to obviously the goals that he wants to achieve and the hunger to become better, I'm pretty sure we're going to see him in the top 50 pretty soon.

But so far we have had a few chats. He's eager to obviously learn, which is a good sign, even from an average player like me (smiling).

So I accept this, and this is really cool. So I wish him the best. I hope we can practice a bit more in the future.