After producing the best run of his career at the Rogers Cup, Stefanos Tsitsipas is eager to continue his assault on the men’s tour.
The Greek 20-year-old stunned the field at the Canadian Masters 1000 event with a trio of wins over top 10 players. Getting the better of Dominic Thiem for the second time this season followed by Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev. Tsitsipas is the first ATP player to defeat three top 10 players within the same tournament since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the 2014 Rogers Cup.
“I didn’t have that much confidence before when I was playing on the hard courts. I never felt very familiar with the surface.” Tsitsipas said during his press conference. “I believe because of my experience as a young kid, I never played hard courts. So I never felt that comfortable because of the bounce of the ball, the speed of the ball.
“Now I’m getting there. I feel like I can be an all-around player. I feel like I have all the strokes to do that.”
Whilst there are encouraging signs, Tsitsipas knows he has a lot of work ahead of him. On Sunday he was denied the title by world No.1 Rafael Nadal. Making it the second time he had lost to the Spaniard in a final this year after the Barcelona Open. Despite his blistering forehand, the Greek initially struggled to have an impact on Nadal’s game, but managed to make the match more competitive as it reached its climax.
“To work more hours and become stronger and more solid baseliner.” Tsitsipas commented about the improvements he needs to make. “And withstand pressures, physical pressures on the court that to him (Nadal) it just seems like nothing special. That’s the big difference between my game and his game.”
Tsitsipas has now climbed inside the world’s top 20 for the first time in his career at 15th. It is an impressive rise for a player who didn’t play his first main draw match on the ATP World Tour until the 2017 Rotterdam Open. This time 12 months ago, he was ranked 168th in the world.
There will be little time for Tsitsipas to celebrate his Montreal breakout. He is on route to Cincinnati to play in this week’s Western and Southern Open. Bidding to reach his third consecutive semifinal on the tour. In the first round, he has been drawn against Belgian 11th seed David Goffin. A player he recently defeated at the Citi Open in Washington.
“I’m actually hungry for more. I want to do well in Cinci.” He said.
“I’m looking forward to a match against Goffin. It’s going to be a tough one for sure. He played me last week, so he’s a bit more prepared than before. And I’m going to have to get a good rest before that match, adjust to the new conditions there.”
“I’m really hungry for more. I believe I can achieve much more this year.” Tsitsipas added.
Tsitsipas is the first Greek man to break into the top 20 in the Open Era.
