Roland-Garros 2021: A new status difficult to assume? Tsitsipas wants to remain “the surprise” of the tournament

Would the pressure start to be felt? Semi-finalist of the 2020 edition, only fallen in five sets against the world number 1, Stefanos Tsitsipas represents himself at Roland Garros with a good header as a contender for the final victory. The Greek, who has been saying for some time already dreaming of a Grand Slam title and of beating the “Big 3” on a regular basis (without waiting for the gradual departure of his members to retire from sport), had the good surprise of see Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer grouped together in the upper part of the table, while he appears at the bottom. An opportunity that also generates a lot of expectations around him.

Tsitsipas is the first to realize what the toss means to him. “Finally ! For once“, he replied with a smile, when the observation was reiterated to him during his pre-tournament press briefing. This means that to afford his first Major, he will potentially have” that “one of the three monsters (or more likely than Nadal or Djokovic) to beat in the final. However, the Greek proved at the Australian Open at the beginning of the year that he was now capable of it when he recovered a two-round handicap against the Mallorcan in the quarter-finals.

Managing the pressure of expectations, a new challenge

He therefore knows that eyes could quickly turn on him, which he wants to avoid in order to give the best of himself. “Every time I play, I want to be the surprise of the tournament. It was the same in Toronto (in 2018 when he reached the final, beating Djokovic in passing, Editor’s note), I really took advantage of this week and the fact that no one considered me the favorite. I had surprised everyone. I just had to play my tennis and think of nothing else. I felt great“, dropped the world number 5.

But the quality of tennis produced by Tsitsipas and his results in 2021 tell a different story. With two consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals and a world No. 1 spot in the Race, his status has changed whether he likes it or not. “His season is very regular at the top level, he won another clay court tournament in Lyon last weekend. He won in Monte-Carlo, was in the last four in Melbourne. On clay, he is one of the favorites to win Roland. His physical condition is great, he progressed from the baseline, especially on the backhand, I see him going very far“, considers Boris Becker, consultant for Eurosport.

Wilander: “He will beat Rafa and Novak if they don’t play their best tennis”

If Alexander Zverev also won a Masters 1000 on clay in Madrid and already has a final at the US Open, Tsitsipas remains the player of what has been called the “Next Gen” who offers the most guarantees before Roland -Garros. His consistency, his involvement at all times in each match make him, for many observers and former champions, the player under 25 – he is 22 – capable of shaking up the hierarchy in the Majors. But the person concerned also knows that there may still be a long way to go.

Moreover, he verified it in preparation tournaments. Despite a match point, he had to give in in a final at daggers drawn in Barcelona against Rafael Nadal. Then in Rome, while he was leading by a set and a break and even served for the victory against Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals, again he dropped the flag. However, the Spaniard and the Serbian were not yet evolving at their best level, and the last weeks of competition and training have surely allowed them to raise the cursor, as the Grand Slams remain their main objective in their race to the story.

“Tsitsipas has this obsession, this hatred of defeat, he needs to win tennis matches. I don’t think he can beat Rafa or Novak regardless of the surface and the context. But I believe he will beat them if they don’t play their best tennis. He is the one who is most likely to win a Major, because he has less tendency to be nervous, he can master all styles of players.“, summarizes Mats Wilander. The captains remain Nadal and Djokovic, but if the door opens slightly, Tsitsipas has all the assets, including mentally, to break it down.

Put yourself in optimal conditions to “surprise” yourself

It is also undoubtedly in this sense that we must in fact interpret his desire to be “the surprise” of this Roland-Garros. The Greek wants to put himself in the optimal psychological conditions and the right state of mind to be as efficient as possible on the court. A bit like when Roger Federer appeared at Roland Garros in 2011, eclipsed by the duel announced in the final between Djokovic and Nadal, before producing the best tennis of his life on clay and in particular eliminating the invincible Djoker in the semi -final.

“What would a surprise mean to me? It would be a better result than a semi-final“, concluded Tsistsipas with his sense of the formula. The dry and fast conditions announced during the fortnight could allow his offensive tennis to flourish wonderfully. Minimum objective last four therefore. Rest assured, the Greek is also not the type to force humility.