Although he lost the first set to Zizou Bergs, o Stefanos Tsitsipas found a way to fight back and eventually pull off the upset, winning 3-1 and advancing to his second round Australian Open!
In his statements after the end of the match, the Greek tennis player spoke about the difficult weather conditions and the difficulties that the unexpected change of opponent hid for him, with Berettini withdrawing and Bergs taking his place.
In detail what he said:
“The change of opponent was unexpected (ie Berettini withdrew and Bergs took his place), which is dangerous when you prepare for one opponent and find another in front of you. It was difficult conditions because of the heat today, we didn’t have a spark in the first set, but I’m glad I found a way to win”.
On the terrible point I got in the second set, thanks to which he broke and finally reached the upset: “I wanted to push him and I didn’t want to give up the point. The truth is that his volley was quite wrong and made me believe that I was not going to get the point. I don’t know how I got him. Finally I succeeded and the match was returned”.
Tsitsipas hit the shot of the year against Bergs
Zizou hit a shot that barely goes over the net
Stefanos reached over & slaps it away
He put every ounce of effort into not touching the net??
Zizou can’t believe it
Pure entertainment
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 15, 2024
For the change in his body position on the serve: “It was a matter of tactics. I’ve seen it in Shiner and Zverev and said I’d give it a try. In the first set, of course, it didn’t work, it must have been the worst set in terms of service percentage in my career. Then I found the balance”.
On his return to Rod Laver Arena: “It’s a great pitch, one of the most impressive I’ve played in my entire career. There’s a nice balance of being in the city and having a warm audience, people who love tennis. The Australian summer can’t be compared to any other part of the season, I absolutely love being here.”.
Post Match on Court interview!?? pic.twitter.com/PQ3YlWFPWC
— Tsitsidaily???????? (@tsitsidaily) January 15, 2024
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