Stefanos Tsitsipas has acknowledged that it was an overwhelming experience to share a court with Rafael Nadal for the first time.
It didn’t help that Nadal was almost at the top of his game when they met in Barcelona in 2018. Tsitsipas said he felt exposed and alone since it seemed like his opponent owned the court. Tsitsipas claimed that he had mixed feelings after losing to Nadal in his opening set, losing 6-1, 6-2 in a hurried encounter.
Tsitsipas expressed his thoughts about it and said: “He is ruthless, has no mercy for anyone. I felt that for the first time when I played him in Barcelona and he was completely ruthless. I remember his energy after the coin toss. It just felt like the stadium belongs to him and I haven’t felt that with a lot of tennis players that I’ve played and it’s intimidating in a way. As a youngster, you’re not used to this feeling when you’re facing someone. So it was something that I still carry with me mentally. I remember that feeling.”
He added: “It took a while to get used to his ball to get used to also forget who is on the other side of the net. Because, of course, I grew up watching him. I even had a poster in my room of him. So it’s difficult in the beginning. You’re like, he’s my childhood hero. It took a few times to get over it, and eventually, I did get an amazing win against him in Madrid [in 2019], which I still remember vividly and it brings back a sense of great accomplishment. I would consider that one of my best wins against him. And I do have a lot of respect for him because he has done things that I don’t think any other tennis player has done besides Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2024
Ranked no.7, Stefanos played his last match on the 21st of April when he capitulated to world no.6 Casper Ruud 7-5 6-3 in the final in Barcelona (draw).
Presently, during this year Stefanos has a compiled 21-7 win-loss record. Stefanos has won 1 title in Monte-Carlo. The Greek reached the final in Barcelona.
Stefanos Tsitsipas will play the world no.118 Thiago Moura Monteiro in the 2nd round. They have never competed against each other up to now on the main tour.
Tsitsipas has won 1 title in 2024 in Monte-Carlo. The Greek got to the final in Barcelona (Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell).
Tsitsipas won 12 titles in his career: 1 on hard courts, 5 on clay courts, 5 on indoor courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Tsitsipas is scheduled to compete next in Rome (Internazionali BNL d’Italia). He will begin to play the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 8th of May.
Rafael Nadal in 2024
Ranked world no.512, the Spaniard played his last match on the 17th of April when he lost to world no.11 Alex De Minaur 7-5 6-1 in the 2nd round in Barcelona (draw).
Currently, during this season the Spaniard owns a composed 3-2 record.
Rafael Nadal will play Darwin Blanch in the 1st round on Thursday at 5:00 pm on MANOLO SANTANA STADIUM. They have never played each other so far in top competitions.
Rafael won 92 titles in his career: 24 on hard courts, 63 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 4 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
He is also scheduled to play at the French Open (French Open) after Rome. The main draw will start on the 8th of May.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Rafael Nadal squared off 9 times. Their current head to head is 7-2 for Nadal. Previously, the last time they fought against each other, Rafael Nadal won 6-4 6-7(6) 7-5 in the final in Barcelona (Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell) in April 2021.
Here the video highlights.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Rafael Nadal |
| Embed from Getty Images |
