Stefanos Tsitsipas has had mixed results in 2019. The 21-year-old started the year off in good form by reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open. He also achieved a career-high number five ranking in August this year. However, the Greek player has also suffered some disappointing losses with first-round exits at Wimbledon and the US Open. The defeats have led to a slight drop in the rankings, he is currently seventh. Tsitsipas will play at the Laver Cup for Team Europe. The tournament began on Friday and he won an entertaining match against American Taylor Fritz of Team World.
Laver Cup debut
Both Stefanos and Taylor were making their debuts in the Laver Cup. They did not disappoint, putting up a good match which thrilled the crowd. Tsitsipas won the first set but Fritz claimed the second which led to a nail-biting tiebreaker won by the Greek. His victory put Team Europe in the lead with two points while Team World has one point. The players were cheered on by their teammates on the sideline bench. Roger Federer was impressed by the Stefanos’ performance and his energy during the match. The 20-time Grand Slam champion revealed that he had asked the 21-year-old if he needed any help during his match. The Greek player showed a great desire to learn from the Swiss and had even asked him to offer any tips he had during the match.
Willingness to learn
Federer praised Tsitsipas for how well he has bonded with his European teammates. The Swiss said, “He’s very open, and I actually I must say he’s been very good. He integrated very well into the group because we have some funny characters here too. And he’s actually been quite relaxed I must say.” Before the tournament, world No. 7 had expressed his eagerness to play alongside Federer and Nadal.
The next generation player said he looked forward to learning from the two great players and would seek advice from them. That attitude has impressed the Swiss who praised Tsitsipas for his attitude and willingness to learn. “We asked him if he wanted to be left completely alone or if he was happy if we come in and give him some pointers.
He said absolutely. If you see something let me know.”
The event will end on Sunday. Each match won by the teams earns one point and the team with thirteen points or more wins the cup.
Stefanos Tsitsipas’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.7, Stefanos played his last match on the 27th of August when he surrendered to Andrey Rublev 6-4 6-75 7-67 7-5 in the 1st round in U.S. Open.
This year the Greek has a 37-19 win-loss record. The Greek clinched 2 titles in 2019 in Marseille and in Estoril. The Greek was the finalist in Dubai and in Madrid.
Stefanos Tsitsipas |
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