Stefanos Tsitsipas once again stirred the debate surrounding lengthy bathroom breaks during his match against Andy Murray yesterday. Although the Briton did well to lead two sets to one, the Greek star’s break during the match had Murray fuming towards the end after losing a five-set thriller.

After his arduous victory, Tsitsipas’ team revealed current World No. 1 Novak Djokovic as the inspiration behind the Greek picking up this trait.

Stefanos Tsitsipas’ team reveals Novak Djokovic’s role in his bathroom breaks

Earlier this year, Tsitsipas had an excellent run in clay court tournaments. The 23-year-old won the Monte-Carlo Masters and reached the final of the Barcelona Open where he lost to Rafael Nadal. His exploits made him the fifth seed at the French Open.

At Roland Garros, Tsitsipas pulled off huge wins against Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev to reach the final, where he faced Djokovic. In the final, the Greek started brilliantly, taking the first two sets to put himself in an excellent position for his first Grand Slam title.

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However, a prolonged break taken by Djokovic saw the Serbian make a comeback in the following three sets and win his 20th career Grand Slam. It’s no secret that a break can change the momentum of a game, since it stops a player in good touch from keeping that going.

And after his victory yesterday, Tsitsipas’ team revealed to Annabel Croft how that final made him understand the value of such long breaks in a match.

Although the Greek star drew flak for his frequent breaks, there’s no doubt he gains a lot from such breaks. Fans can expect to see more of the same from the 23-year-old in the remainder of the US Open.

READ MORE: All You Need To Know About Novak Djokovic’s Training Routine

Tsitsipas to face Adrian Mannarino in the second round of the US Open

While the debate rages on, the World No. 3 will face unseeded Adrian Mannarino in the second round. Earlier this year, the Frenchman was Dominic Thiem’s opponent in the Madrid Open when the Austrian suffered a wrist injury.

Although Tsitsipas needed five sets to defeat Murray, he will be expected to advance to the third round later this week.

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