Stefanos Tsitsipas aims deep run at Paris Masters

Top-ranked Greek tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas says he is feeling much better now than in Vienna as he hopes to make a deep run at the Paris Masters.

Tsitsipas, 22, contracted an edema injury during his semifinal at the French Open and he returned to action in Vienna. 

The Greek scraped past Jan-Lennard Struff in his Vienna opener, before losing to former world No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov in the round-of-16. 

"I feel much better now, I wasn't 100% ready in Vienna. My movement was not good at all, probably because I wanted to protect my leg. I actually didn't have high expectations. This week is important for me, because I know I can earn some points," Tsitsipas said in Paris, per Vicky Georgatou.

Tsitsipas' previous two campaigns at Bercy ended with a second round loss in 2018 and a quarterfinal showing in 2019, respectively.

Tsitsipas spent some quality time with Giannis Antetokounmpo 

After the French Open, Tsitsipas returned to Greece, where he was hanging out with reigning NBA MVP Antetokounmpo.

"I had a wonderful time (during his short vacation in Greece). I also got to spend some time with Giannis, who is a great guy. We got to know each other well and I think we will be seeing each other more often in the future. He inspires me and I have already learned so much from him! We discuss the moments we spend on and off the courts, we talk about sports, politics, traveling, everything. I'd say I admire him a lot and he made me understand him better as a person. It's the beginning of a new friendship," Tsitsipas told Vicky Georgatou. 

"We got to meet through my friend Manolo (Karalis). His father trained Giannis and his brother Thanasis, and that's how it all started. Manolo is also an amazing guy, we have known each other for a long time. When I was flying back from Paris, the pilots invited me to the cockpit and Manolo, Giannis and Thanasis called me on FaceTime. It was a lot of fun!"

Tsitsipas admitted he and Antetokounmpo were hesitant to go outside.

"We did not go out much, we mainly hung out inside the hotel. It wouldn't be a very good idea to go out in the center of Athens, although we considered it," Tsitsipas added. "We had a good time, ate some good food, talked a lot. And Giannis' girlfriend is a wonderful woman, and his little baby is lovely too!"

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3mJ5uxU