Roger Federer: “I Believe Stefanos Tsitsipas is Good on Faster Courts and on Slower Courts”

Published 11/18/2019, 2:06 PM EST

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Six-time champion Roger Federer was stunned by the eventual champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals 2019 last weekend. The Swiss maestro explained the strength of Stefanos Tsitsipas which helps him on the fast and slow courts.

Roger Federer suggested that Stefanos Tsitsipas possess a skill that many single-handed backhanders find hard to get it. The 21-year-old has the ability to hit the single-handed backhand slice as strong as the topspin shot.

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“He has it, you know, and he’s tall and he’s strong up there. He can loop it and come down on it, and that’s why also I believe he’s good on faster courts and on slower courts. It’s going to be very beneficial for his career,” Federer said after his defeat against the Greek.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion expounded that the next-generation star has aggressive footwork and he attacks on every single short ball. Roger Federer also believes that Tsitsipas is the best while playing aggressive tennis.

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“You know, obviously, it’s his footwork that’s always on the aggressive side. Any short ball will be attacked, and I think he does that very, very well. He’s one of the best at that in the game,” Federer concluded.

Stefanos Tsitsipas fought back from a set down to defeat the number five seed, Dominic Thiem (6) 6-7, 6-2, 7-6 (4) in the finals of the ATP World Tour Finals 2019 on Sunday and win his maiden title in his first appearance at the season-ending event, just 12 months after clinching the title at the ATP Next-Gen Finals.

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With this victory, Stefanos Tsitsipas became the youngest ATP World Tour Finals champion (21 years old) since Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt, who bagged the ATP Finals title at the age of 20 years in 2001. He also became the first player to win the title after losing the opening set since David Nalbandian in 2005.

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Written by:

Varun Khanna

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Starting off as a tennis author in 2018, Varun Khanna has gone on to contribute to EssentiallySports in various capacities. After setting up interviews with the likes of Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou, Alizé Cornet, and Noah Rubin, Varun is now part of all major ATP and WTA press conferences and has gone on to pen more than 1300 articles for EssentiallySports. He now heads the tennis and NBA division of the organization.
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