If there is one player who is in the seventh heaven at the moment, it is Stefanos Tsitsipas. The World No.6 recently defeated Andrey Rublev in straight sets in the quarters of the French Open 2020. This enabled the 22-year-old Greek to cement his place in the semi-finals of Roland Garros for the first time. In an interview afterward, the player was all in praise for the US Open 2020 winner Dominic Thiem. Tsitsipas admitted that the Austrian player pushed him a lot to aim for more and more.

“Dominic inspires me. What Dominic has achieved is amazing. Being able to have back-to-back finals here at the French is truly inspiring. He is someone that makes me understand the game and makes me want to push any further to reach what he has reached,” acknowledged the young Tsitsipas.

Dominic Thiem played two consecutive finals at the French Open 2018 and 2019. He lost on both occasions to Rafael Nadal. However, this year he got outplayed by Diego Schwartzman in a marathon match in the quarters of the tournament.

Read More: Stefanos Tsitsipas earns his first semi-final ticket at the French Open

‘He is a very passionate person’- Stefanos Tsitsipas on Dominic Thiem

Tsitsipas even talked about the relationship between the two players off the court and said that the two were great buddies.

“He is a nice guy off the court. Big workaholic on the court. He has a very balanced [life] and he is a very passionate person in every aspect. We are good friends,” concluded a cheerful Tsitsipas.

Tsitsipas is definitely improving. He is taking inspiration from some senior players. It is now a golden opportunity for him to win his maiden Grand Slam. But the road is not easy. He will most likely face World No.1 Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, who is unbeaten in 2020. Even if he manages to conquer the Serbian, he will possibly play against 12-time French Open winner Nadal in the finals.

The 22-year-old has undoubtedly impressed experts and legends. Now, it will be worth watching how Tsitsipas handles the pressure in big matches.

Also Read: Stefanos Tsitsipas praises Andrey Rublev after the match at the French open 2020