THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 2, 2024

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Press Conference

S. TSITSIPAS/D. Taro

7-6, 6-4, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with questions in English.

Q. How did you experience this first round on Court 18?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I feel like I did a good enough job to win today. I'm a bit disappointed with a few things that I was under control, and I was not able to execute it the way I wanted.

That created a little frustration because I felt like at times I was really good, I was creating a lot of opportunities, but I wasn't able to get ahold of them.

As the match progressed, I feel like I gained on momentum and confidence, and I started feeling more of my shots with more precision behind them.

My returns could have been better because I feel like today I was giving away a lot of second-serve returns without building on them. So that was something that did cost me a little bit, and I felt like it would have made my life a little bit easier if I was able to press and create pressure from the second serves, which ended up either flying out or not giving them the opportunity that they deserved.

Q. I was just wondering how you personally change your game in any way when you transition from clay to grass and how comfortable you feel playing on grass as a surface.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I feel like on clay I can perhaps get away with a little bit less risk taking when I play. I can be a little bit more patient. Necessarily I don't feel like I have to play the best shots to win points on clay.

Here it's slightly different. Of course, you have to stay in points and not rush and do big things. But there are times during important crucial moments that you have to be a little bit of a risk taker, and you cannot wait for your opponent, well, to have time and to leave him free with space. This is something that can cost you on grass.

I try and attack as much as I can because I feel like it benefits a lot being that way on grass. Of course, the risks that I try and impose when big moments are building up or when, let's say, my opponent might find himself in a little bit more of a defensive position, these are the key moments that I try and assert myself in in order to get those points and psychologically assert my bigger game over the opponent's one.