“The master of clay” Is Stefanos Tsitsipas a threat to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros 2022?
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Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Rafael Nadal
Stefanos Tsitsipas retained his Monte-Carlo Masters title with a straight-sets triumph over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, demonstrating his clay-court brilliance once again. The Greek No. 3 seed defeated the world No. 46 Davidovich 6-3 7-6(3) in one hour and 36 minutes, denying him the chance to become the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion since Tomas Berdych in 2005.
It’s Tsitsipas’ eighth tour-level triumph, and his fourth on clay, as the 2021 French Open finalist demonstrated why he’s one of the frontrunners for the Roland Garros title this year. With this triumph, the Greek joins an elite list of players to win back-to-back Monte-Carlo Masters including Rafael Nadal, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Thomas Muster and Bjorn Borg.
Will Stefanos Tsitsipas prove to be a hurdle?
In 2021, the Greek sensation was significantly closer to winning the French Open when he led by 2 sets Novak Djokovic in the final before the world number 1 found his way to conquer the following 3 sets.
Stefanos Tsitsipas’ life was not easy after that Roland Garros final. Stefanos was eliminated in the first round of Wimbledon before falling in the second round of the ATP 500 in Hamburg, where he had high aspirations of winning his maiden title. He was also hoping to win at least one major in the Tokyo Olympics. In singles, he was eliminated in the third round, while in mixed doubles, he was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
However, just when everyone thought his career was over, he made a remarkable comeback in Monte-Carlo 2022, defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets and reclaiming his title. He is also gearing up for another tilt at the French Open title after losing last year’s final at Roland Garros to Djokovic despite leading by two sets. He himself declared that “I think my tennis is excellent on all surfaces, although it adapts better to clay.”
Considering his performance so far and his determination, perhaps it’s safe to assume that Stefanos Tsitsipas is not going to let the Rolland-Garros title get out of his hand quickly. He will do anything and everything he can to win the title even if it contains beating the World No.1 Novak Djokovic, who had a poor showing in Monte-Carlo and is hoping to rebound in his home event in Belgrade, and overcoming the ‘King of Clay’ Rafael Nadal, who will be desperate to add another French Open title to his collection.
Stefanos Tsitsipas will be back in action in the Barcelona Open
Tsitsipas won’t be looking too far forward for the time being. This week, the Greek is back in action in the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. The top seed is a two-time runner-up at the ATP 500, and he will be aiming for a third title here.
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Pritha Ghosh
(414 Articles Published)