Stefanos Tsitsipas was thrilled to efficiently his defend his Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters title this week. Nonetheless, what made it “double” particular was how deep he needed to dig to elevate the trophy within the Principality once more.
“It was a good way to high it off with plenty of combating ultimately,” Tsitsipas mentioned. “[It was] not a lot [about] going for clear winners or for an excessive amount of lovely tennis, however attempting to place within the exhausting work in each single level and go over the boundaries, as I prefer to say.”
Within the semi-finals, Tsitsipas rallied from 0-4 within the third set towards Diego Schwartzman. Within the remaining, he let slip a chance to serve out the match at 5-4 within the second set. However as a substitute of panicking, the two-time Monte Carlo champion rapidly rebounded to finish his victory within the ensuing tie-break.
Tsitsipas earned 1,000 ATP Rankings factors along with his win, which can propel him to second within the ATP Race To Turin on Monday as he tries to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the fourth consecutive 12 months. However the 23-year-old has set his sights even greater.
“I’ve a floor that I is likely to be adjusting simpler to than different surfaces and we all know which one that’s,” Tsitsipas mentioned of his current efficiency on clay. “My objective ever since I’ve realised that… is that if I will rating factors [on] this floor as a lot as I can and actually focus on the opposite surfaces a bit extra, I can actually pull off an ideal 12 months, possibly even ending among the many two greatest tennis gamers on the finish of the season.”
The 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion is off to a powerful begin to his season, which has included a run to the Australian Open semi-finals and the Rotterdam remaining on high of his Monte Carlo triumph. He’s aiming to convey the extent he did within the Principality all year long.
“I’m at all times attempting to convey the most effective I can from clay and regulate accordingly to the opposite surfaces. I actually need to be doing properly on exhausting and grass this 12 months, as a result of I really feel like I can actually get numerous factors there,” Tsitsipas mentioned. “If I will win matches with the identical consistency I do on this floor, I feel I’ve an enormous likelihood of ending the 12 months [in] the highest two, which is a large objective of mine to be lastly there and belong in that particular group of gamers.”
Solely 5 lively gamers — Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Daniil Medvedev — have reached World No. 2, and all of them have ascended to World No. 1. Tsitsipas has reached a career-high of World No. 3.
“My tennis is nice I feel in all places, with clay possibly being the floor that I can regulate [to] the most effective. I’ve had moments the place I used to be attempting to use what I apply on clay on exhausting. Would not actually appear to be working a lot. Typically it is probably not the way in which to go,” Tsitsipas mentioned. “However this has additionally [taught] me so much that I ought to regulate and I ought to by no means actually turn into obsessive that, ‘Okay, no matter works on clay ought to work on quicker surfaces’.”
For now, Tsitsipas is not going to look too far forward. The Greek is correct again to work on the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell this week. The highest seed is a two-time finalist on the ATP 500, the place he’ll attempt to elevate one other trophy.
