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2 Years After Devastating Defeat to Novak Djokovic, Out of Form Stefanos Tsitsipas Badly Hopes to Emulate Retired Spanish Tennis Legend’s Tactic at French Open 2023

Published 05/15/2023, 3:41 PM EDT

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For some time now, Stefanos Tsitsipas has been making waves in the ATP circuit. However, his performance in 2023 hasn’t been as impressive as before, and he’s been finding it hard to match his past success. Tsitsipas’ journey in the 2021 French Open was a tough one. He was defeated by the Serbian tennis legend, Novak Djokovic. The impact of this devastating loss appears to have been profound, and Tsitsipas is now searching for a way to make a comeback!

In a recent interview, he shared his hopes of channeling the retired Spanish tennis great David Ferrer in the ongoing clay-court season. He openly expressed his admiration for Ferrer in the interview with Prakash Amritraj. Tsitsipas plans to utilize Ferrer’s tactics on the court and defeat the ‘King of Clay’ once and for all.

Stefanos Tsitsipas shares his plans to defeat the GOAT, Rafael Nadal

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Tsitsipas entered the 2021 French Open final against Novak Djokovic with high hopes of lifting his maiden Grand Slam title. However, his dream was shattered by the Serbian superstar. The defeat was a bitter pill to swallow for the young Greek player. He had already lost in the Australian Open final earlier in the year.

During a recent post-match interview at the Rome Masters, Prakash Amritraj asked Tsitsipas about the changes he has implemented since the 2023 Australian Open final against Djokovic. Tsitsipas knows that he has powerful shots and needs to utilize them effectively to win big matches.

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He shared, “I know I have big hits, but it all comes down to knowing when and how to use them correctly and effectively. Sometimes I feel like I rush because I want to finish the job quickly, but tennis is more complex than that. It is not as easy as it seems to me in my head.”

 

via Reuters

Tsitsipas hopes to emulate the retired Spanish tennis legend, David Ferrer, who was known for his consistency and patience in exchanges. Tsitsipas acknowledges that he needs to have patience in exchanges and be more consistent, like Ferrer, to improve his game.

He shared, “If I can have patience in exchanges as I did. For example David Ferrer, a beast that was tremendously consistent and never accelerated but did not fall short either. I respect him a lot because he made tennis seem like something ‘simple,..

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Tsitsipas has identified the key areas he needs to work on to improve his game and compete at the highest level of tennis. The tennis ace explained, ” I also think that I have the potential to improve my service, in addition to the fact that there is a significant gap in my return, If I can miss the rest less and get them deeper I think my game is going to be able to improve a lot.

Djokovic once reacted to his 2021 match against Tsitsipas

Djokovic made a remarkable comeback from a set down to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open 2021. The match was an intense battle, and Djokovic had made an astonishing remark about it. He had mentioned in a post-match interview that it felt like they had played two matches. Djokovic acknowledged that Tsitsipas had played better in the match. However, he was able to hold his nerves and break Tsitsipas’s serve in important moments.

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Djokovic also acknowledged and thanked for the support of the crowd. The Serb had mentioned that a bit of luck, mental strength, and the right tactics worked for him during the match. He emphasized that the winner of the match was decided by just a single shot. Who do you think will win the next match? Tsitsipas or Novak Djokovic? Share your views and predictions in your comments below.

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Written by:

Dr Aditya Raveendran Menon

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Aditya Menon is a Tennis Writer at EssentiallySports, covering several high-profile tournaments and events. With a passion for writing that matches his love for the sport, he has a special interest in covering the activities of tennis legends like Serena Williams and the ‘Big Three’ of men’s tennis. Aditya’s interest in tennis started at a young age when his father introduced him to the sport.
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Edited by:

Tony Thomas