Stefanos Tsitsipas wants the third in Monte Carlo | ATP Tour

Montecarlo

Tsitsipas wants the third in Montecarlo

The Greek was champion in the 2021 and 2022 editions

April 12, 2024

Stefanos Tsitsipas is looking for the third ATP Masters 1000 title of his career in Monte Carlo.
By ATPTour.com/es Staff

Stefanos Tsitsipas wants to regain the champion’s suit at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he has marked the recent history of the tournament with special force. After conquering the 2021 and 2022 editions on the clay of the Principality, the Greek retains memory in his shots to set the pace a few steps from the Mediterranean. In a natural environment that he knows like few others, the one in Athens borders on a feat reserved for icons: a trio of cups in the first orange ATP Masters 1000 on the calendar.

The Greek overcame a memorable match this Friday, defeating Karen Khachanov 6-4, 6-2 to reach the semifinals of the tournament full of authority. A day of abundant sunshine accompanied Stefanos’s curved shots, capable of reaching the penultimate round of the tournament without leaving a sleeve along the way. If previous experience is a degree, Tsitsipas has cards in his deck to attack the decisive phase of the tournament.

“I would be lying if I said that entering this court doesn’t bring back good memories,” Tsitsipas said after beating Khachanov. “It’s something I attribute to some of my performances in recent years. By coming here, I somehow relive those memories of the past. It feels great to play in front of a crowd like this and strive for excellence with my game,” explained the Greek. , which reached the semifinals for the third time in Monte Carlo.

The match served for Tsitsipas to underline his solid control in the direct rivalry over Khachanov. After remaining undefeated against Karen on clay, whom he had already defeated at the Foro Italico in Rome years ago, Stefanos dominates the Lexus ATP Head2Head history 8-1, consolidating one of his most solvent duels in the upper zone of the ATP Tour.

“My returns have been effective. I have managed to generate a lot of rhythm and found great inertia,” said Tsitsipas after scoring 45% of the points since the return. “He seemed pretty solid in his tennis. He didn’t give me many unforced errors and he was pretty calm from the baseline. I tried to do my part, put as much pressure on him as I could and not rush into the exchanges.”

“I tried to dictate and read certain details on the track, everything worked quite well. It took me a while to understand what worked, I was persistent in the effort to get a good reward.”

Whether Tsitsipas’ candidacy for the throne is firm will be proven with a toughness test. The Greek will play the semifinals against the Italian Jannik Sinner, winner 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 over the current Danish runner-up Holger Rune in one of the most vibrant duels of the tournament. Stefanos is 5-3 in Lexus ATP Head2Head history, including three wins in four matches on clay.

Tsitsipas has the Monte-Carlo Country Club as one of his favorite venues on the calendar. The Greek, capable of climbing to at least the quarterfinals in his last four appearances, has achieved victories in all his visits to the tournament throughout his career. With an impressive balance of 18 victories in 21 matches played, Monte Carlo is the ATP Masters 1000 in which the Greek has achieved the most victories.

Did you know…?
Stefanos Tsitsipas aims to become the fifth player capable of lifting three individual cups on clay at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. The Greek can follow in the footsteps of the Spanish Rafael Nadal, the tournament’s all-time champion with 11 trophies, and figures such as the Romanian Ilie Nastase, the Swede Björn Borg and the Austrian Thomas Muster, all of them winners of three editions in the Principality.