Stefanos Tsitsipas recovers his aura in Rome | ATP Tour

Roma

Tsitsipas finds the aura in Rome

The Greek was a semi-finalist in the last edition

May 13, 2024

Among the statues that crown the Foro Italico in Rome, Stefanos Tsitsipas’s blows resonate with a special vigor. Becoming one of the most solid talents for clay today, the Greek seeks to leave a well-marked mark on a stage that is sports history. If Greece represents classic and traditional, the atmosphere of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia meets the standards to make Stefanos feel at home.

The No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings continues to write a European clay season full of great moments. After linking the finals of Monte Carlo and Barcelona, ​​one of the most important feats of solidity of his career, Tsitsipas is gaining speed on the courts of Rome, where a year ago he climbed to the semifinals. The Greek defeated British Cameron Norrie 6-2, 7-6 (1) this Monday to reserve his place in the fourth round.

“My shots have had depth on the court and I have achieved many angles. It is difficult for my opponent to control these shots and I think I managed it in the first set,” said Tsitsipas. “I was precise, we could say. In the first set I did a great job of making him not feel comfortable. At least that’s what I felt from the other side of the court.”

“The second set was not easy”; Greek stood out. “He is a great player and knows how to adapt to situations. I knew that the second set could present a different challenge, that’s how it was and I needed to find a solution. He managed to hold his serve more comfortably and my blows didn’t do as much damage.”

“I had patience and determination in the tiebreak, I fought to put many balls in and achieve as much depth as possible. I didn’t have to defend as much and that gave me a 7/1 in the tiebreak. It was a relief. The match “it was equalizing, it has been decided in very small details,” Tsitsipas concluded, leaving behind his defeat in the debut at the Mutua Madrid Open.

After adding two victories in Rome, Stefanos will find a good level of challenge on the way to the decisive rounds. The Greek will meet in the round of 16 with world No. 11 Alex de Minaur, winner 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-4 over Felix Auger-Aliassime in a battle that lasted more than three hours in the Rome clay. Stefanos dominates the Lexus ATP Head2Head record 10-1 over the Australian.

Tsitsipas has traditionally found a high level of play in Rome, where he reached the final in 2022 and the semifinals in 2019 and 2023. The Greek has a record of 14-6 at the Foro Italico, a venue in which he has only lost to the champion in his last two appearances.

Did you know…?
Stefanos Tsitsipas aspires to become the third active tennis player with at least four ATP Masters 1000 clay court crowns in individual mode. The Greek, three-time champion on the Monte Carlo clay, can follow in the footsteps of Novak Djokovic (11) and Rafael Nadal (25) if he triumphs at the Foro Italico in Rome.

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