Roger Federer expects Stefanos Tsitsipas to be one of the top contenders of the next week’s Australian Open 2020. The next-gen stars including Tsitsipas have failed to win a major title since their upsurge. However, the Swiss maestro still picks the Greek star as one of the favourites in Melbourne. Why?
Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is defending semifinalist in Melbourne, had sent Roger Federer packing with a 6-7 (11), 7-6 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (5) defeat in their first meeting in the fourth round of the Australian Open 2019.
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“I’m sure that was a huge step forward”: Roger Federer
The 20-time Grand Slam champion explained that the 21-year-old claimed the title at the ATP World Tour Finals 2019 and can repeat his result at the first Grand Slam of the year.
“Tsitsipas should be a contender in Melbourne. Winning the ATP Finals was a big deal for Tsitsipas. I’m sure that was a huge step forward after he also beat me here in Melbourne last year,” the 38-year-old said in an interview.
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Federer vs Tsitsipas Head-to-Head
Federer and Tsitsipas embraced four duels on the ATP Tour in 2019, with both the players winning two matches each. The Basel native got his revenge in the final in Dubai and reached the milestone of 100th ATP title.
However, he wasn’t ready to challenge Tsitsipas in the quarter-final at the Rome Masters, setting the next clash in the semi-final in Basel that the home star won by the identical score like in Dubai. The Greek gun bounced back at the 2019 ATP World Tour Finals, defeating Federer 6-3, 6-4 en route to his maiden title.
It will be interesting to see how the young player performs in Melbourne after a substandard performance at the ATP Cup 2020, winning only one match in the event.
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