Stefanos Tsitsipas can play a lot like Roger Federer, says Brad Gilbert
The tennis coach and ESPN analyst Brad Gilbert believes that Stefanos Tsitsipas's win over Roger Federer comes as no surprise in some ways. The 20-year-old Greek had already defeated three top players - Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Kevin Anderson - at last year's Rogers Cup in Toronto and he now made an even bigger step forward defeating Federer on Sunday. Gilbert believes that the way Tsitsipas started the match was the key. "First thing, the first game of the match. Out of nowhere, second point, time violation, and then he loses a first serve", said the American in an interview to Straits Times. "So the way that he had to keep his composure... when things could have got away from him. What I liked best about him, what I saw in Canada, and what I watched of him at junior Wimbledon, is his ability to play a lot like Fed. He takes first ball and comes in; he comes forward and takes time away from you; and he has a game plan that he believes in and he executes. And his movement for six foot five (inches) is awesome."
Gilbert feels excited about what's to come for the next generation in the next months and years: "All the guys now that are young, from (Denis) Shapovalov to (Alex) De Minaur to (Alexander) Zverev, (Daniil) Medvedev, (Karen) Khachanov, all of them are baseliners. This guy... has more of an all-court game, he comes to the net and he's confident coming forward. He doesn't serve and volley but he came to the net 68 times... He's 20, what's he going to be like at 25? He's only going to get better, he's only going to get stronger."
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from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2FH1Y5H
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