Stefanos Tsitsipas seems to be on the verge of tears after his loss to Holger Rune at the French Open. Photos: Eurosport / Getty Images
The weeping Stefanos Tsitsipas says he has no choice but to simply improve after his shocking removal from the French Open.
The fourth-place finisher was drawn by Roland Garros in four sets by Danish rising star Holger Rune in the fourth round 5-7 6-3 3-6 4-6, just a year after qualifying for the final.
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This was a heavy blow for the Greek world number 4, and as a result will probably be on the horizon a drop in the rankings.
Emotions about the 23-year-old footballer apparently erupted after the match.
Tsitsipas said that he simply did not adapt quickly enough to the pressure that Rune was able to put on him, and he failed to put the Dane under any pressure.
Admitting that he was disappointed on the court amid strong opposition from Rune, Tsitsipas said he had failed to overcome the mental hurdles needed to win.
“I’ve struggled a lot over the last few days to find my rhythm,” he said.
“I was very nervous on the court, I was very disappointed and I knew I was like that, but I couldn’t stop being like that.
“Of course, I knew I would have to play with difficult opponents who know how to play on this surface, but mentally, physically, I felt good about tennis.
“I just had a few problems in practice. Again, back to the frustration, to the misunderstanding of certain things and certain models that I was trying to impose.
“You know, you have this in the back of your head, by changing this equipment a little bit, playing with something that helped you get a pretty good result last year, finals for the first time, it kind of stays in your head that maybe I shouldn’t have done it.
“But it’s not my fault, I think it actually helps me, and I just hope it accomplishes its goal and the way I want it to be in the next few weeks, because I want to get as many points as possible.”
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Tsitsipas was expelled from the French Open in the fourth round
Tsitsipas found himself on his hind legs early, handing out the first set, but he did well in the second and seemed to have gained control of the match.
But Rune responded with a high-energy demonstration in the remaining two sets to beat Tsitsipas and stage a quarter-final clash against Casper Ruud of Norway.
World No.40 outplayed his rank, and Tsitsipas said he was disappointed in himself for not adapting to Rune’s tactics early enough.
“It’s weird, I don’t run into anyone that often,” Tsitsipas said.
Stefanos Tsitsipas was disappointed with himself after losing to Danish Holger Rune in the fourth round of the French Open. Photo: Frank Molter / dpa (Photo by Frank Molter / photo alliance via Getty Images)
“But then suddenly [he] seems to play amazing, which is a good thing, of course.
“He is a very emotional player, he can play great, he absolutely deserves this victory, he played better, he stood up better in crucial difficult moments.
“But next time I can see something different with this opponent. I am convinced that I can do much better.
“I did not do my best here, so to speak. I did not give myself the opportunity to maximize. Not that he didn’t give it to me … I didn’t give myself the opportunity to go all the way and that’s a shame. “
Tsitsipas continued to punish himself even at the post-match press conference for not adjusting faster.
“I really didn’t put a lot of pressure, it was ridiculous at one point and I was stubborn again, I was stubborn to change it, I didn’t want to change it because it helped me before, it brought good results,” he said.
“But again, like I have to adjust a lot faster, it’s too late for that.”
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