Stefanos Tsitsipas before Erste Bank Open: "Want to bring a better version of Stefanos to the field"
Stefanos Tsitsipas took the cancellation of the ATP 500 event in Basel as an opportunity to start in neighboring Austria. In a virtual press conference before his first appearance, the Greek was quite modest.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Oct 27, 2020, 11:27 am
By Michael Rothschädl from the Wiener Stadthalle
Stefanos Tsitsipas needed a few moments in his opening press conference at the Erste Bank Open to really warm up. After a few monosyllabic answers, the 22-year-old even had the courage to joke a few jokes, such as the reaction to technical problems of a questioner, that he could leave if nobody had a question for him. But then of course the sport was topic number one: The Greek is traveling to the Austrian capital as number three in the tournament and is one of the favorites for the title after his strong performances at the ATP 500 event in Hamburg and especially at the French Open the Wiener Stadthalle.
Nevertheless, the fifth in the world rankings stacks deeply before his first appearance in front of around 1000 spectators in Austria: "I just want to play good tennis," said the 22-year-old. The Greek will need that too, as in the first round he will meet an opponent with whom he has always had to fight in the past. Head-to-head with the German Jan-Lennard Struff is before the clash on Wednesday 2-2, but the last duel in Dubai went wafer-thin in the decisive set to Tsitsipas. In order to be able to survive again against the man from Warstein, Tsitsipas had to "do the same thing that I played in Dubai," said the fifth in the world rankings.
Time of experiments over
For a long time it was uncertain that Tsitsipas would travel to Vienna in such good shape. In particular after his bitter elimination against Borna Coric at the US Open, the Greek presented himself in poor shape at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome and had to give up at the start. Since Hamburg, the shape curve has been pointing upwards again, which Tsitsipas sees in some experiments that he dared in New York and Rome: "I processed this phase very well mentally, tried a few things during this time, but I'm closed again returned to my normal game, which has now worked better again. "
Since his quite surprising triumph at the Nitto ATP Finals last year, he has "grown as a person and player" due to painful experiences and a few setbacks, and of course has also played a few matches since then. Meanwhile, the Greek does not want to think about a possible defense of the title in a few weeks, rather he is now focusing on the events in Vienna and Paris Bercy, where he would have to make up for a lot. "I want to put a better version of myself on the field in these tournaments." Stefanos Tsitsipas will intervene in the tournament on Wednesday.