“Rafael Nadal is someone that I have always dreamed of beating,” says Stefanos Tsitsipas on his opponent in the finals of Barcelona Open 2021
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Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas secured a straight sets victory over the Italian, Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of Barcelona Open 2021. The Greek claimed his ninth consecutive victory on clay courts, and is running in red-hot form at the moment. He claimed the first Masters title of his career, after he defeated Andrey Rublev in the finals of the Monte Carlo Masters last week.
The Greek stated that his semifinal clash against Sinner, was a close match. Jannik Sinner had four break point opportunities, but he could not convert even one of them. “It was very close. It was a close match,” said Tsitsipas. “He had a lot of break point opportunities on my serve. It could have been different, but I stayed tough and I converted those break points [I had]. That was crucial and very important,” Tsitsipas said.
Stefanos Tsitsipas reaches second Barcelona Open final
Stefanos Tsitsipas reached his second Barcelona Open final, with his victory over Jannik Sinner. Last time, he reached the finals of Barcelona Open, the Greek lost to Rafael Nadal in straight sets. The world number five hoped to do better this time around, and heaped praise on Rafael Nadal. He stated that Nadal is a player, whom he deeply respects and always dreams of beating.
“It feels great to be back [in the final]. I will try to redeem myself from last time… [Rafa] is someone that I really respect and have always dreamed of beating,” said Tsitsipas. “The fact that I was able to do it this year pushes me to push myself… I feel like I need experiences like this to grow as a player. A final is always a very important phase in a tournament,” he added.
Stefanos Tsitsipas last played against Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open 2021, where the Greek won in five sets. The world number five produced an epic comeback, despite being two sets down in the early stages of the match.
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Nirmit Mehta
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