Stefanos Tsitsipas couldn’t have asked for a better start to the new campaign, could he? Playing in the United Cup ahead of the Australian Open, the 26-year-old led his country to a big win over Spain in their opening tie in Perth. However, it was a close contest decided by a match tiebreaker in the mixed doubles as Tsitsipas partnered with Maria Sakkari to notch up a big win over the Spanish pair of Sergio Martos and Yvonne Cavalle. Despite winning both of his matches in the tie, Tsitsipas couldn’t stop praising his partner after opening their account at the United Cup.

While Sakkari lost her singles tie against Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro, Tsitsipas leveled the scores by defeating Pablo Carreño Busta. Subsequently, Tsitsipas and Sakkari teamed up in the deciding match but didn’t have the best of starts, losing the first set 6-4, with Tsitsipas struggling with his game. However, Sakkari kept her composure as Greece went on to notch a famous victory over Spain.

After the tie, Tsitsipas was all praise for Sakkari, saying, “I have to say I’m proud of Maria today. I got to acknowledge that she hasn’t played since Olympics and it’s definitely very tough to be back and expect someone to play at their highest level. This is definitely something I was observing today in the match. It happened to me as well in the past. I can really relate to that feeling of not having had enough under your belt, having to wait for so long to get back on court.”

Interestingly, Tsitsipas and Sakkari also played at the Paris Olympics together in mixed doubles. The pair were seeded fourth but lost in the first round against Demi Schuurs and Wesley Koolhof. However, the pair got over the disappointment of the Paris Olympics with a strong showing at the United Cup. Despite winning both the matches in the tie against Spain, Tsitsipas still feels that there is room for improvement. Ahead of the Australian Open, he wants to tick all the boxes.

Stefanos Tsitsipas looking for all-round improvement

Earlier today, Tsitsipas was stretched to three sets in his tie against Carenno Busta. The Greek international lost the momentum midway through the match but came back strongly to seal the match. However, as the first major tournament of the new season nears, Tsitsipas is looking to tighten the screws.

During an interview after the match, he said, “Personally, I try to improve in all aspects of my game. It’s disappointing because I think I could have served a little better. There were times when I felt my percentages could have been better in singles, but also in doubles, especially when I was serving on the advantage side. There were some moments when I might have missed too much, especially when I’m used to having a different outcome.”

After a big win over Spain, Greece will face Kazakhstan in the final group-stage tie. Can the duo of Tsitsipas and Sakkari inspire Greece to the United Cup win? Let us know your views in the comments below.