Stefanos Tsitsipas has explained why it could be risky for young players to imitate Swiss legend Roger Federer by reflecting on his own childhood fanboy experience.
Tsitsipas thought back on his early attempts at copying Federer and the evolution of his style of play. Tsitsipas quotes tennis journalist Simon Cambers’ co-authored biography, ‘The Roger Federer Effect’, in stating that Federer has an unmatched style of play that cannot be duplicated. The 24-year-old remembers trying to mimic Federer’s effortless forehand and backhand strokes as a child but discovering his physical limitations prevented him from doing so.
Tsitsipas expressed his remarks about Federer’s style of play and said: “I started by trying to copy him but then my game evolved into its own thing. I play my own way now. I tried very hard to copy his effortless and beautiful shots but soon realized my body would not allow it. I was different.”
He advises that in order to avoid becoming lost and confused, young players should develop their own style rather than blindly imitating Federer.
When Tsitsipas was a young boy growing up in Greece, he used to watch Federer’s dominating matches on television and fell in love with tennis. He once mentioned: “It was magical to watch Roger make the game look so easy. He was an artist on the court. Roger is an inspiration in how he presents himself and lives his life. He is more than just a tennis player.”
Tsitsipas also talks about Federer’s enormous influence both on and off the court. The 40-year-old has risen above the sport to become a universal icon, motivating millions of people with his confidence, good sportsmanship, and perseverance at the peaks of the sport.
Interesting listening to @steftsitsipas talk this week about how he chose a one-handed backhand, influenced by watching @rogerfederer on TV. Here's what he told me and @SimonGraf1 for our book, The Roger Federer Effect https://t.co/y1L1zl5RVU pic.twitter.com/bKynlmPZJR
— Simon Cambers (@scambers73) November 5, 2023
Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2023
Now ranked no.6, the Greek played his last match on the 4th of November when he surrendered to world no.14 Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 6-7(1) 7-6(3) in the semifinal in Paris (draw).
Currently, during this season Tsitsipas achieved a composed 51-22 record. Stefanos conquered 1 title in Los Cabos. The Greek was the finalist at the Australian Open and Barcelona.
Stefanos Tsitsipas |
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