Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas' journey at the Nitto ATP Finals didn't hit the right start, after he was defeated by Dominic Thiem in the first match of Group London 2020.
Thiem outlasted Tsitsipas 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3.
In last year's ATP final, Tsitsipas beat Thiem in a third-set tiebreaker to clinch the biggest title of his career.
“He dealt with my serve better and took time [away], he stepped back and applied the pressure,” Tsitsipas said after the match.“He put more pressure on me. Some of the second serves that I had early in the third set… and I think that paid off for him.”
Tsitsipas may still be able to advance depending on his results against Nadal and Rublev in the last two group-stage rounds.
Due to the pandemic, there are no fans inside the 20,000-capacity venue. There are also no line judges, as the tournament is using electronic line calling for the first time. The system means players can no longer challenge whether a ball was in or out as those calls get made automatically. However, they can request a video review for other disputed situations, such as double bounces.
