Why Wimbledon wasn't such a great dessert for Stefanos Tsitsipas?
It was his first time at Wimbledon as a seeded player, so the butterflies were definitely there for Stefanos Tsitsipas. He had the nervousness before but at a Slam, that could be damaging. This was one of the first things why Wimbledon might have proved a bit nerve-racking for the Greek NextGen.
Once he got on Court 2, things should have come together. The winning shots should have been smooth, but it wasn't. The struggle was real and he knew of the trouble he had with his returns and rhythm at practice sessions. This was Wimbledon and the performances had to go on. When you don't feel the vibration and the mantra and mood, things might happen and it might not be good. Tsitsipas' first-round opponent was Italy's Thomas Fabbiano. The Greek had lost a bunch of points at last year's Wimbledon at their match, but he did defeat him in nearly 90 minutes. Tsitsipas felt positive knowing that he was lastly successful over Fabbiano but he wasn't the same Italian player as the year before. The Italian's game had much improved and Tsitsipas had trouble handling it. In explaining to the ATP tour media, he says "I felt like I was lost, going for too much or going for nothing. There was no balance in what I was doing." This was an added situation that made the Championships a bit more challenging for him to handle.
Wimbledon supposed to have this great charisma, and it did but it was too difficult for Stefanos Tsitsipas to feel the glamour. "I was so frustrated knowing already how things are going to be, based on my feelings on the court...I was very mad with myself..." he'd say. The Italian won the first set then Tsitsipas bounced back and won the second. It was literally a tug-of-war as Fabbiano put it all out there to win the third. This left the Greek confused as to how he could override this determined and fiery Italian who had never defeated anyone in the top 20 yet.
The NextGen had put a lot out there before Wimbledon and he might have predicted that now he wasn't only well prepared for the grassy surface, but overworked and possibly burnt out. Coming into a major and burnt out, wasn't the proper thing and the results might not look pretty. This was another reason for Wimbledon not being Tsitsipas' event when he found himself not performing the way he needed and wanted. He'd defeat Federer at the Australian Open on the way to the semis and dismissed the Italian last year at Wimbledon. 'Why can't I do it now?' the Greek must have asked himself.
The NextGen's opening and closing round at Wimbledon was a match to be remembered but also to kind of throw over his shoulder. H had to learn from his mistakes and discrepancies of play and carry on. The hard court season will be here soon and Stefanos Tsitsipas will indeed be looking forward to improving his game physically as well as mentally to have a successful rest of the 2019 season.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2SuMLZ5
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