Stefanos Tsitsipas is Grateful to Share Courts with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Published 09/21/2019, 11:57 AM EDT

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Next-Generation star Stefanos Tsitsipas made his maiden appearance at the Laver Cup 2019 defeating Taylor Fritz 6-2, 1-6, [10-7], to give Team Europe a 2-1 advantage on the first day of the three-day event.

Tsitsipas, who made his debut at the popular team competition said that it’s unbelievable that he’s playing alongside the two goliaths of the sport – Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the Laver Cup 2019. The Greek star was also obliged to be in the same team with the other top 10 players.

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“If you would tell me 20 years ago, actually 10 years ago, that I would be playing an event having Roger and Rafa and four more top-10 guys by my side, I wouldn’t believe you. That’s just magnificent,” the 21-year-old said after his singles match on Friday.

On the other hand, Roger Federer was quite impressed by the Stefanos Tsitsipas’ energy. The Swiss star also revealed that the youngster was happy to be guided by his senior teammates.

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The 20-time Grand Slam champion said during Tsitsipas’ match, “We asked him if he wanted to be left completely alone or if he was happy if we come in and give him some pointers. He said absolutely. If you see something let me know. Maybe I’ll figure it myself, and if not, I’m happy you tell me.”

Federer also explained that Stefanos Tsitsipas has been quite relaxed and has integrated into the team very well. He further added: “He’s very open, and I actually I must say he’s been very good. He integrated very well into the group because we have some funny characters here too. And he’s actually been quite relaxed I must say.”

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The Greek gun will partner with the 19-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal on the second day of the 2019 Laver Cup. The two will face Nick Kyrgios and Jack Sock to earn two crucial points for Team Europe.

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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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