Stefanos Tsitsipas (No. 4 in the ATP ranking) got out of trouble against Jannik Sinner (16th) in the round of 16 of the Australian Open and proved once again that his results in the oceanic event are not a fluke.. In the run-up to his meeting with Jiri Lehecka (71st) in search of his fourth semi-final at Melbourne Park, the Greek discussed his special tie to the tournament.
“No matter where I look, I always see people speaking Greek. Of course that feeling is very important when you’re away from home, because it connects you with the culture you’re in. It really feels good when you walk around and have that feeling. That’s why I consider it my Grand Slam. Because Melbourne is the second city behind Athens with the most number of Greek citizens.”
“The French have Roland Garros, the British have Wimbledon and the Americans have the US Open. In this case, the Australian Open is my Slam”he reflected after beating Jannik Sinner 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the Major quarterfinals for the sixth time in his career.
In the next round, the three-time semifinalist in Australia will face the 21-year-old Czech Jiri Lehecka (71st), whom he already met almost a year ago at the ATP 500 in Rotterdam. Regarding the pressure that the arrival of new generations can exert on the circuit when it comes to winning the long-awaited first Grand Slam, the European commented: “I play my game. Titles come if I play well. If you’re able to produce the best you can on the pitch, I think the rest flows naturally. We’re all dealing with pressures as we compete. We’re exposed to different careers, with different conditions and with different tennis players by our side”.
“I think that’s what we stay focused on. I wouldn’t say a lot of players think about future events because tennis is a sport where you have to stay present, otherwise your mind is spinning, you create scenarios, situations. That It’s not the way you play and reach your maximum.”hill.
