Stefanos Tsitsipas has the ‘right game’ to take over from the Big 3, says eight time Grand Slam champion


Part of the ‘NextGen’ of tennis players, young Stefanos Tsitsipas has shown glimpses of the quality needed in a player to take the mantle from the Big 3. 8-time former Grand Slam winner, Ivan Lendl agrees with this view and feels that the Greek has the ‘right game’ to do the same, however, he needs to prove his consistency first, something he hasn’t done yet.
Lendl had a candid chat on the Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast, a weekly podcast featuring some well-known names from the tennis world. The Czech-American legend gave his opinions on the NextGen and where they currently lack in their gameplay.
Tsitsipas plays tennis the right way: Lendl

Lendl feels that there are a few players like Tsitsipas on the tour who could rise to be greats, but it is too early to call, and the end result will ultimately boil down to the players’ ability to reduce their errors and to maintain their gameplay and results consistently.
He said, “Tsitsipas plays tennis the right way, and there are a couple of young guys who play like this including Denis Shapovalov. As soon as they get experience and they stop making too many errors they are going to be very difficult to beat.”
A glaring example of the lack of physical consistency in the Next Gen players came at the French Open semifinals. Tsitsipas made a spirited comeback from two sets down against Novak Djokovic, but ultimately, his body couldn’t keep up the intensity going into the decider set. Novak went on to clinch the match with a 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1 scoreline, resulting in the Greek’s efforts going in vain.
On that particular match, Lendl said, “I thought before the French Open semi-finals that the Djokovic vs Tsitsipas match had potential to be close but Tsitsipas could not handle it physically. I was surprised Novak lost the 4th set because Tsitsipas was already struggling physically.”
How Stefanos Tsitsipas’ career has shaped up so far

The 22-year-old Greek has had a bright career since the start, with him bagging the Wimbledon boys’ doubles title, becoming the first male Greek in the modern era to have a junior Grand Slam title to his name.
He has only progressed positively since then, even achieving a career-best world ranking of 5 recently. The Greek has had a 27-10 win-loss record in the 2020 season and won the title at the Marseille Open.
He has won a total of 5 titles in his career, including the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals in 2019, with his total winnings grossing over $12 million.
Tsitsipas is currently recuperating after sustaining a leg injury. He will be appearing next at Paris Bercy, where he will look to clinch his maiden Masters’ title.
FS Desk
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