“More than the clay” Stefanos Tsitsipas names the biggest obstacle at the Madrid Open

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Stefanos Tsitsipas has had an impressive run not only this year but also in the previous Roland Garros tournament. The Greek has so far managed to successfully defend his Monte Carlo Masters title this year and came very close to winning the Roland Garros the previous year when he became the runner up in the prestigious tournament.

This shows us that he is somewhat of an expert on the clay court and can manoeuvre well on the clay surface. However, it looks like the Madrid Open is not an easy tournament and the Greek looks to perform better this season.

Stefanos Tsitsipas talks of the difficulty of playing in Madrid

Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas

The last time the Greek played the Madrid Open, he crashed out after the round of 16. This time the world no. 5 looks to cross beyond that and perhaps even win the title. The latest event he played in was the Barcelona Open, in which he lost in the quarter-finals to eventual winner Carlos Alcaraz.

When asked to comment about the wonderful clay season he has been having, and how he has adapted to the terrain, the 23-year-old said, “I didn’t do anything in particular to adapt here. I just trained normally, arrived a little earlier. It’s different from tennis on clay. You don’t really feel like you’re in a clay-court tournament, because you’re dealing with the altitude more than the clay itself.”

The Greek and world no. 5 is set to play his first match against the winner between Lucas Pouille and Karen Khachanov feels like he has gained more perspective than the last time and feels confident enough to take on the players and march forward.

“So that’s the ultimate challenge you have to work on. The hits are different. It’s much more difficult to open the court because you’re dealing with higher and heavier balls. It’s more about trying to get the ball in the court than playing deep and with a lot of precision,” said the two-time Monte Carlo Masters winner on his plans for this year’s tournament in Madrid.

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