Tsitsipas: ‘I Am Better Than This’

Stefanos Tsitsipas’ quest for a three-peat at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters was ended by Taylor Fritz on Friday. Following his straight-sets quarter-final loss, the Greek was quick to provide an honest assessment of his disappointing defeat.

“I just seemed off. My serve was not working very well today, and against opponents like Taylor, you have to serve well,” Tsitsipas said in his post-match press conference. “I was aware of that during the match. I just couldn’t find the rhythm.

“I am much better than this and I’m disappointed I was not able to show my game today. I tried to fight on the second set. It’s a good lesson. It’s not a happy day for me, but it’s a good lesson.”

Tsitsipas will drop two spots to No. 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday following his fifth defeat of the season. After reaching the Australian Open final at the start of the year, the Greek was forced to withdraw from Acapulco due to a shoulder injury, which hampered him in Indian Wells and Miami.

The 24-year-old, who competed eight times across February and March, believes his lack of matches impacted him on the clay in Monte-Carlo.

“This injury on my shoulder didn’t really give me opportunity to build up momentum and rhythm,” Tsitsipas said. “I have been thinking about it, how I could have gained points playing in Acapulco, perhaps playing healthy in Indian Wells and Miami, and these are the Tour tournaments that I was actually aiming for, because these are big tournaments. They can give you a lot of points to add to your confidence and keep building on the Race to Turin, which is important to me.”

Tsitsipas, currently fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, was chasing his 13th consecutive win in Monte-Carlo, having lifted the trophy in 2021 and 2022. The Greek feels his success on the surface has made him a target for opponents.

“There are players out there that will play their best to beat me. They know how well I can play on clay and they are really hungry, and I feel like maybe sometimes they have nothing to lose so they really leave it out there,” Tsitsipas said. “I don’t know if that’s the expression, but they play out of their skin to give the best chance to themselves out there.”

Tsitsipas will next head to the ATP 500 clay-court event in Barcelona, which starts on Monday.