Stefanos Tsitsipas: 'Early Madrid loss doesn't change my plans, I still want to..'

Stefanos Tsitsipas has been the best player of the season in the opening four months, leaving Andrey Rublev and Novak Djokovic behind him with 27 victories from 34 encounters. The 22-year-old Greek has big plans for 2021, wishing to play well on every surface and finish the season inside the top-3 for the first time. Stefanos won the opening six matches of the season, including a thrilling victory over Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open quarter-final from two sets to love down. The Greek lost in the semis to Daniil Medvedev before reaching another semi-final in Rotterdam and battling for the title in Acapulco, losing that one to Alexander Zverev. Following the Miami Open quarter-final, Tsitsipas returned to Europe and showed his true colors on clay, winning the first Masters 1000 crown in Monte Carlo without losing a set.

Stefanos Tsitsipas will try to get back on a winning way in Rome.

Stefanos almost repeated that a week later in Barcelona, pushing Rafael Nadal to the limits before wasting a match point in the most extended best-of-three ATP final in the previous three decades! After a well-deserved rest, the Greek entered the Madrid Open as one of the favorites, losing in the third round to Casper Ruud 7-6, 6-4 in an hour and 33 minutes. It was a mighty close encounter with only one break chance for Ruud in set number two, with the Norwegian seizing the crucial points to seal the deal in straight sets. Having more time to practice in Rome, Stefanos left the Madrid loss behind him, focusing on the next event and seeking a deep run at Foro Italico this week. The Greek will face Marin Cilic in the second round on Wednesday.

"I'm fighting for it every single week. I didn't have a very good week in Madrid. But, so far, my season and ranking progress look good. I've been very consistent, which obviously helps, being in that situation. I've been looking forward to performing the same way and do even better in the future. I'm looking forward to the grass and then the hard court season from August onwards. I want to be a complete player, and that's important for my psychological state, knowing that I can play on every surface. I think you can take the good and the bad things from every situation. Whether that would be a first-round or winning a tournament. You can always come into the next week with something better. It wasn't meant to be for me that day in Madrid. I took the opportunity to come to Rome earlier and prepare. I've acclimatized to the new conditions," Stefanos Tsitsipas said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3o7WRyE