“Hurt me a lot,” Stefanos Tsitsipas reveals ‘second hardest’ defeat of his career after heartbreaking loss to Novak Djokovic
Stefanos Tsitsipas suffered a five-set defeat to Novak Djokovic in the final of the 2021 French Open despite being 2-0 at first.
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Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas (Image via X/The Tennis Letter, Jose Morgado)
At the recently concluded Monte Carlo Masters, Stefanos Tsitsipas was bidding to defend his title. The winner of three Monte Carlo Masters, however, fell in three sets in the quarterfinals against eventual runner-up Lorenzo Musetti.
For Tsitsipas, it was one of the hardest defeats of his career. After clinching the title in The Principality last year, Tsitsipas was trophy-less until this year’s Dubai Open where he beat Felix Auger-Aliassime for his first ATP 500 title of his career.
Although the disappointment after failing to win the Monte Carlo Masters was massive, nothing comes close to the 2021 Roland Garros heartbreak where the Greek ace reached his first Grand Slam final. He had failed to capitalize on his 2-0 lead against 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
It must have been one of the hardest defeats I’ve had in the last 2-3 years. I would say the second hardest after the defeat to Djokovic at Roland Garros. It affected me and hurt me a lot. I hope that the mistakes I made in the match are not repeated, that I learn from this defeat, and if I feel that there is a similar situation again in the coming weeks of the clay season, that I can find better ways to manage this difficulty that I had to face.
Stefanos Tsitsipas said at the press conference at the Barcelona Open
Tsitsipas advanced to another Grand Slam final, at the 2023 Australian Open which he again lost to Djokovic, this time, in straight sets. Djokovic, the winner of three French Open titles, lifted his second trophy at Roland Garros in 2021.
He recently succumbed to a straight-set defeat to Alejandro Tabilo in his opening-round match. The 37-year-old will next play the Madrid Open which starts on April 22.
While Tsitsipas ended his trophy drought by winning the Dubai Open, the Serb has yet to add a title to his trophy cabinet since winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. He came close to winning the Miami Open this year as he reached the final; but Jakub Mensik, with a pair of tie-breaks, upset Nole to win his career’s first ATP title.
Stefanos Tsitsipas to lock horns with Sebastian Korda at the Barcelona Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas is in Barcelona to play the first ATP 500 of the season. He kick-started his Barcelona Open campaign on Tuesday (April 15). The four-time finalist made an emphatic start to the campaign against Reilly Opelka, clinching the win with a 6-2, 6-1 scoreline and improving to 7-0 in his opening round at the clay-court ATP 500 event.
The 26-year-old reached the four finals in 2018, 2021, 2023, and 2024. He has now improved to 2-1 in his head-to-head ranking against the big-serving Opelka.
I’m happy with the way I found relief through fighting, particularly in the difficult moments when he was serving. I knew the serve was going to be the trickiest part. I got a few meters back [returning] and used that space effectively. I felt I was able to return way more returns than initially expected. I kept my cool when I had to, it was a good win.
Stefanos Tsitsipas said in his on-court interview
He has a 21-6 win-loss record in Barcelona. In the next round, the third seed is scheduled to lock horns with Sebastian Korda against whom, he is 1-1 in the head-to-head record. If he progresses to the semifinals, he could face Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud in the summit clash.
Tsitsipas, since winning the Dubai Open, failed to secure more than two matches he played in the next three tournaments. He lost to Holger Rune in the Indian Wells quarterfinals, to Sebastian Korda in the fourth round of the Miami Open, and to Lorenzo Musetti in the Monte Carlo Masters quarterfinals.
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