Stefanos Tsitsipas seemed to be about to cry after his defeat at the French Open against Holger Rune. Images: Eurosport / Getty Images
Weeping Stefanos Tsitsipas says he has no choice but to improve after his impact expulsion from the French Open.
The fourth seed grouped Roland Garros in four sets by rising Danish star Holger Rune in the fourth round 5-7 6-3 3-6 4-6, just one year after reaching the final .
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It was a blow to the number 4 in the Greek world, with a drop in the rankings probably on the horizon.
Emotions were clear for the 23-year-old after the match.
Tsitsipas said he simply hadn’t adapted quickly enough to the pressure Rune had been able to put on him and that he couldn’t put the Dane under any pressure.
Admitting that he felt frustrated on the court amid Rune’s harsh opposition, Tsitsipas said he had been unable to overcome the mental obstacles needed for victory.
“I was struggling the last few days to find my rhythm,” he said.
“I was very nervous on the court, I was very frustrated, and I knew it was like that, but I couldn’t stop being like that.
“Of course, I knew I would have to play against tough opponents who know how to play on that surface, but mentally, physically, when it comes to tennis, I felt good.
“It’s just that I had some problems in practice. Again, it’s back to frustration, back to not understanding certain things and certain patterns that I was trying to impose.
“You know, you have this in the back of your head, having changed this equipment a bit, playing with something that helped you a lot last year to get a pretty good result, finals for the first time, you there’s a bit left in my head that maybe I shouldn’t have done that.
“But there’s no fault, I think it really helps me and I just hope it fulfills its purpose and how I want it to be in the coming weeks because I want to get as many points as possible.”
The story goes on
Tsitsipas was knocked out of the French Open in the fourth round
Tsitsipas found himself on the back of the net early on, giving the first set, but he recovered well in the second and seemed to have taken control of the game.
But Rune struggled with great energy in the remaining two sets to overtake Tsitsipas and set up a quarter-final clash against Norwegian Casper Ruud.
The world number 40 surpassed his rank, and Tsitsipas said he was frustrated with himself for not adapting to Rune’s tactics well in advance.
“It’s a little weird, I don’t face anyone very often,” Tsitsipas said.
Stefanos Tsitsipas was frustrated with himself after losing to Dane Holger Rune in the fourth round of the French Open. Photo: Frank Molter / dpa (Photo by Frank Molter / picture alliance via Getty Images)
“But suddenly [he] it looks like he’s playing amazing, which is a good thing, of course.
“He is a very emotional player, he can play very well, he absolutely deserves this victory, he has played better, he has faced the crucial difficult moments better.
“But I can see something different next time with this rival. I’m pretty convinced I can do much better.
“This is not where I reached my maximum, let’s face it. I didn’t give myself a chance to get the maximum. It’s not that he didn’t give me … I didn’t give myself a chance to go all out the way, and that’s a shame. “
Tsitsipas was still being punished even at the post-match press conference for not adapting more quickly.
“It simply came to our notice then. results, “he said.
“But again, because I have to adjust a lot faster, it’s too late for these things.”
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