Stefanos Tsitsipas was eliminated in 3-2 sets by the world's 128, Dominic Stricker, in the 2nd round of the US Open, but after the game, he stayed on the court to sign autographs.
Usually, the athletes who lose leave... running for the locker room, but the Greek tennis player made the difference.
"It’s not an easy thing to stay there. I saw the little kids faces. It touched my heart because I was in their position once upon a time. I really looked up to players like me in this occasion. I consider myself someone players look up to. Probably not as much as Federer, Rafa, or Djokovic, but I’m somewhere there in the substitutes. It felt good. Although inside of me, the first thing I wanted was to leave the court and clear my thoughts. I had to do it. I hope I made people happy...,” he said.
Stefanos Tsitsipas on why he stayed to sign autographs after losing to Stricker at US Open:
“It’s not an easy thing to stay there. I saw the little kids faces. It touched my heart bc I was in their position once upon a time. I really looked up to players like me in this… pic.twitter.com/63tJiU3C3d
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 30, 2023
Tsitsipas also addressed recent changes in his coaching team, stating that the adjustments were not to blame for his performance. He emphasised that his on-court performance was under his control and influenced by his talents. He took responsibility for his performance, admitting that if he was unable to deliver on the court, he could not expect to achieve success.
"By no means I'm supposed to put any blame on any people or any members of my team," Tsitsipas said. "Everything on court is under my control and under my talents, and the way I can play this sport are shown out on the court. If I'm not able to deliver, then I'm not supposed to be doing well."
Swiss Dominic Stricker earned his maiden Top 10 win on Wednesday at the US Open, where he upset World No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-7(5), 7-6(6), 6-3 to reach the third round at a major for the first time.
The 21-year-old, who is making his debut in New York, showed desire and quality throughout the four-hour, 10-minute epic to earn his second five-set win at a major. In humid conditions, the lefty rallied from 3-5 in the fourth set, while he was two points from defeat three times in the set.
"I came out today pretty well. I felt good from the first set on. It was a tough battle but I am just super happy right now," Stricker said. "I am going to enjoy the rest of the day and then I will recover for the next round.
"I was down 3-5 and then I came back in the fourth set. I don't know how, but I did it somehow and then I kept playing very high level tennis. I am a bit speechless but it is a great day."
Stricker then found his best form in the deciding set, winning 83 per cent (19/23) of his first-serve points to advance. Stricker, who struck 78 winners against Tsitsipas, will aim to continue his run when he meets Benjamin Bonzi in the third round.
"Such a great day for me, such a great win," Stricker added. "It gives me a lot of confidence and I think it is great to see from my team. We are working hard everyday and it is so great to do that."
Stricker is currently eighth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Jeddah (486 points) and is aiming to make his second appearance at the Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the first time. The 21-year-old has won two ATP Challenger Tour titles this season.
Tsitsipas suffered a shock first-round exit in New York against Daniel Elahi Galan last year and has now failed to make the second week at the US Open in six attempts. The Greek, who went 1-2 at ATP Masters 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati, struck the ball well against Stricker in the pair’s second Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, but committed errors in the key moments off the backhand wing.
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