ROLEX SHANGHAI MASTERS

October 4, 2024

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Mixed Zone

S. TSITSIPAS/K. Nishikori

7-6, 6-4

Q. (Question regarding Shanghai and the tournament.)

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Yes, these are the very few tournaments during the season where you feel like they completely understand you, and they try to make this experience the best that exists on the tour. They're really not, I would say, in a way, stingy, and they go all the way, anything that makes the players feel better, anything that provides to the players in terms of hospitality, player experience on site.

The site is amazing. They have a lot of activities outside of the tennis, obviously, because we practice most of the day, but a lot of activities for the players.

Also a lot of interesting things, actually, in the Shanghai city. Those that live in the hotel in the city, it's quite an interesting city, with a lot of sides of it, the traditional sides and the more modern ones.

Q. Were you happy with your performance in that match?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Yes, it was good. There was one moment in the beginning of the second set where I felt like I could have maybe started my journey of getting up in the score a bit earlier, but regardless of that, I felt like I was starting to play good, and I started to feel my shots pretty well, and that helped me a lot in terms of building up confidence and going on stronger, and being able to also understand certain things that didn't work out as well, and now I have to kind of change it.

Q. What kind of things?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, my returns, for sure. My returns were a bit short in the beginning, and I felt like he was immediately getting away with the points. They were just a little bit powerless, not as deep. I had to strike them and hit them a little bit harder, which did help, you saw a few good ones at the end, and that was exactly what I was looking for, I just had to start it a bit earlier.

It also is a bit different because you're facing Kei who serves slightly from a lower angle that makes the ball stay really low, so you have to really adapt on that, because it's a different way of perhaps returning than you're used to. I'm used to returning up here on my hips, and it felt like that was almost below my hips and I had to scoop it up. So it does take a little bit of a different footwork and preparation before you hit that.

Q. Did it feel good to get a win over Kei after losing to him in Montreal?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Absolutely, yes. I did want to put up a fight, and I wanted to show that I can go out there and play a good match against him. It turned out to be better and better each and every game.

I was definitely happy with some of my service games. I think the more the match proceeded, the more I started feeling my returns, the more I started understanding of how can I perhaps win points on his service games. It took me awhile, but I was getting better over time, so good to see that from my side.

Q. And you continue your record of perfect first rounds in Shanghai. What brings out your best here?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, I never thought about it. I mean, look, I like it here, I feel good here. I feel good here mainly because, you know, all the people that organize this event, they just put a lot of effort into making the players happy here, making the players feel like it's a welcoming, warm place for them to be at. You know, these type of things are important. You want players to be happy in their working environment, and you want them to obviously try and stay as long as they can, that's a driving factor, too. If a place is not as great, if you're like, you know, I have to spend here two weeks, but it's not the case here.