In Barcelona in 2018, Stefanos Tsitsipas made his first ATP final. The young Greek entered the title match at the ATP 500 tournament after playing well and earning important victories. Rafael Nadal, a ten-time champion, was the opponent for Stefanos’ entry into Pista Rafa Nadal.
The Spaniard defeated the Greek 6-2, 6-1 in one hour and 17 minutes to win his 77th ATP championship. Commenting on the match, Stefanos acknowledged that playing in his first ATP final had left him unprepared for such a formidable opponent.
“My first Barcelona Open final versus Rafa was not fun. I faced Rafa on the court carrying his name, with the entire stadium supporting him, which made sense.
The first time I played against Rafa, I was not ready; I had not picked it up yet,” Tsitsipas commented.
Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2023
Currently the world no.5, Tsitsipas played his last match on the 23rd of April when he surrendered to world no.2 Carlos Alcaraz 6-3 6-4 in the final in Barcelona (draw).
This season Stefanos owns a compiled 20-6 record. Stefanos Tsitsipas’s most significant result of this season was reaching the final at the Australian Open and Barcelona.
Rafael Nadal in 2023
Currently ranked no.14, the Spaniard played his last match on the 18th of January when he lost to world no.54 Mackenzie Mcdonald 6-4 6-4 7-5 in the 2nd round of the Australian Open (draw).
At present, during this year Nadal owns an overall 1-3 record.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Rafael Nadal clashed against each other 9 times. Their actual record is 7-2 for Nadal. The last time they played, Rafael Nadal won 6-4 6-7(6) 7-5 in the final in Barcelona (Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell) in April 2021.
In the following video you can watch the highlights.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Rafael Nadal |
| Embed from Getty Images |
