Roger Federer’s magical words for Stefanos Tsitsipas comes true as he finally gets his “breakthrough” after slumpy start to the season

Tsitsipas is well on course to clinch a second title on clay.

Roger Federer’s magical words for Stefanos Tsitsipas comes true as he finally gets his “breakthrough” after slumpy start to the season

Roger Federer and Stefanos Tsitsipas (Via Imago)

Things seem to be falling into place for Stefanos Tsitsipas finally after a rusty start to the 2024 season. The Greek tennis ace recently won the Monte Carlo Masters as Tsitsipas beat Casper Ruud in the final and the 25-year-old might win another title on clay if he manages to repeat his heroics from the Monte Carlo Masters final and make Roger Federer‘s magical words come true.

As the Swiss tennis legend had talked about Tsitsipas getting another breakthrough after a tough start to the season, the Greek ace has started to gain momentum. While Tsitsipas failed to win any of the first five tournaments he played, the 25-year-old picked up momentum on clay.

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Tsitsipas beat three players in the top 10 on his way to the title win in Monte Carlo. And now, he has reached the final of the Barcelona Open. With Tsitsipas gaining momentum midway through the season, Federer’s words seem to have come true.

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As the 20-time Grand Slam champion had talked about the potential Tsitsipas possesses and Roger Federer wanting him to take it to the next level, the Greek ace is doing it now. 

Good, I mean, I obviously lost against him a bunch of times and I think he’s a great player, but I would like to see him taking it to the next level. So I wish him very well. Of course, Tsitsipas is still doing well, and I hope he can do great this year and have another breakthrough.
Roger Federer had said about Stefanos Tsitsipas last month. (H/T: Eurosport)

Can Stefanos Tsitsipas repeat the feat against Casper Ruud in Barcelona?

After things starting to fall into place for Stefanos Tsitsipas, it will be interesting to see how much he can make out of it. The 25-year-old already won a title a couple of weeks ago and will have the same opponent, Casper Ruud in the Barcelona Open final.

Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas (Image via Imago)

Tsitsipas beat Dusan Lajovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinal. The Greek tennis star demonstrated great footwork to dictate on his forehand and won 100 percent (12/12) of his first-serve points in the decider to advance after two hours and 10 minutes. Tsitsipas was happy about the win.

I would say the first game of the second set showed a direction where it felt if I keep up returns and applying constant pressure from the first shot I get to dictate, it might turn around. It was a close game and I lost it but deep in my mind it was ingrained that if I continue on the same path, something good is waiting. It turned out I was right. I continued to play that kind of tennis.
Stefanos Tsitsipas said after the win in semifinal. (H/T: ATP Tour)

On the other hand, Ruud beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry in straight sets to book a spot in the final. The two players will be eager to face each other in a final once again. While Tsitsipas is 10-0 in clay so far, Ruud is also coming on the back of an impressive run.

The two players have enjoyed a great contest against each other with the head-to-head leveled at 2-2. On clay as well, the two players have won a match each out of the two layers so far. Now, it will be interesting to see if Tsitsipas can repeat his heroics from Monte Carlo where he beat Ruud in straight sets.

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