by William Turvey and Lisa Pasquariello
Via TenniUpdate newsletter
Despite his enormous talent, Stefanos Tsitsipas has had a rough go of it recently.
Despite this, something about the clay of Monte Carlo clicked this week, and for that matter, always has as the Greek is a three time champion in the tiny country. Since the Round of 16, the 25-year-old faced all seeds, with a knockout knocking on the door at any moment. Despite this, he defeated Alexander Zverev, Karen Khachanov, Jannik Sinner, and Casper Ruud, consecutively. His clash against Sinner made headlines,
with the Italian dubbed as the “best player in the world right now,” despite a defeat to Tsitsipas.
And his final wasn’t easy either—he was facing the guy fresh off of beating Novak Djokovic. But he showed enormous concentration and potential during the match, kicking Ruud off the court with a 6-1, 6-4 victory.
Both men’s stats were not too fine, with Tsitsipas’s first serve % coming in at only 40. But the Greek’s experience played key, with him winning seven games in a row at one point during the match.
“It has been very difficult, so to be back on the podiums, winning tournaments just feels amazing. I can’t thank my family enough and friends, and if there is God out there, for making this moment possible. I am extremely grateful for every person behind this journey. The third time is even more special than the first or second time. This is an unbelievable win for me. Capturing that win today was nerve-wracking. I really wanted this trinity.”
