#NextGenATP Stefanos Tsitsipas speaks exclusively to ATPWorldTour.com about his life on the road and his desire to inspire a generation of Greek tennis players.

The statement on Stefanos Tsitsipas’ website is clear, “Tennis is my life. I breath tennis!” His lifestyle of travel, graft and dedication has seen the 18 year old rocket from outside the Top 1,000 of the Emirates ATP Rankings in August 2015 to his current position of No. 201.

“In Athens it is not as well organised as at the academy and there aren’t too many at my level to train with. But I hope to inspire,” Tsitsipas told ATPWorldTour.com from the sun of Sardinia, Italy, at the Santa Margherita di Pula. “Many people are playing the game in Greece, it’s growing slowly and getting more and more popular. You see it more on the news and on websites. We have some juniors doing a good job. Hopefully our success can make tennis even more popular.”

The state-of-the-art facilities at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy hosted the recent Verrazzano Open, enabling Tsitsipas to practise with World No. 1 Andy Murray, who stopped by to ramp up his clay-court preparations. Tsitsipas soon realised the work rate required to accumulate the on-court armoury that will rival those in the upper echelons of professional tennis.

“It was for sure inspirational,” said Tsitsipas. “He’s a player I’ve been watching on television from a young age. He’s inspired me the way he plays tennis and the way he’s such a big fighter on court. He’s the World No. 1, he’s achieved so much in the sport. Actually, he won Wimbledon (2013), the first British man in 77 years to do so, then repeated the feat last year. I’m sure Great Britain is very proud of him. It was an honour to practice with him.”

From yesterday’s practice with @andy_murray at the @MouratoglouAcad.

I was very happy to see him play injury-free and in a great shape. pic.twitter.com/3Kxk4HIR0W

— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@StefTsitsipas) April 7, 2017

However, the privilege to hit with the sport’s top player nearly became a blur.

“He offered advice, he’s a really friendly guy, very open minded, but I can’t remember everything he told me, I was so focused on the practice,” revealed Tsitsipas. “I remember he told me in a volley game at the net, not to hesitate and to go towards the ball. But that’s pretty much all I remember!”

Motivated by the challenges ahead, Tsitsipas would relish the prestigious opportunity to participate in the inaugural #NextGenATP Finals in Milan this November.

“I’m very proud of the level my game is at and what I have achieved so far, but it doesn’t end now,” said Tsitsipas. “I’m looking forward to what is ahead, I’m focused on qualifying for the #NextGenATP Finals, but that is a long way away.

“It’s a very good idea from the ATP, [which is] really looking after the youngsters coming through. I only have good things to say about the Milan finals and if I managed to qualify, I’d be very proud and happy.”

Alongside his quest to reach Milan, the ambitious Greek is targeting major success. “If I qualified for a Grand Slam that would be amazing. I’d be so happy for my game, my team and my country.”

Tsitsipas has now experienced matches on the ATP Challenger Tour and ATP World Tour, with the rise in standard illustrating the magnitude of the task ahead.

“For sure it’s very different, you come against much better players, guys you have watched on the TV and admire,” said Tsitsipas. “In an ATP World Tour main draw, I faced Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and I remember watching him since I was a little kid.” Tsitsipas pushed the eventual ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament champion in a 6-4, 7-6(2) loss. “It’s tough, because every match counts. But it’s pretty good because there are plenty of points on offer every week.”

The Greek, who won the Wimbledon junior doubles title last summer with Kenneth Raisma, offers a very positive persona and is eager to fill his time away from court with a variety of hobbies; ranging from basketball, watching movies, picking up the sport padel, reading, to swimming in the sea.

He also displays his wit and sense of humour on social media. “I like posting as much as possible about my life and what’s going on around me,” said the tech-savvy Tsitsipas. “I think it’s interesting the life of a sportsman, a tennis player. I also like sharing my thoughts on social media with loyal fans.”

He loves the history of tennis, the required work rate and the lifestyle on tour. “I get to travel the world, discover new cultures, meet new people, learn new ways, and do what I love,” said Tsitsipas. “I get to see and do things I’d never get to do without tennis and otherwise I’d be back home sitting in school! The sport has given me this great opportunity, I will make the most of it.”

Novak Djokovic and Viktor Troicki renewed their doubles partnership on Monday with a 7-5, 6-3 victory against Gilles Muller and Gilles Simon at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. The Serbians won almost 70 per cent of their service points in the 76-minute win. They’ll next meet top seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers.

Tommy Haas and Treat Huey prevailed past the French pairing of Julien Benneteau and Lucas Pouille 4-6, 6-4, 10-8. Haas/Huey will face third seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares in the second round.

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The French team of Benoit Paire and Edouard Roger-Vasselin had better luck, though, beating Grigor Dimitrov and Nenad Zimonjic 6-4, 1-6, 10-3. They’ll next face sixth seeds Marcel Granollers and Ivan Dodig.

Romanian Florin Mergea and Pakistani Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi swept Marin Cilic and Philipp Petzschner 6-4, 6-4. Mergea/Qureshi will meet seventh seeds Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez in the round of 16.

Ninth seed Tomas Berdych survived a scare on Monday when he fought past qualifier Andrey Kuznetsov, currently No. 78 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final match of the day at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. Berdych goes on to face Benoit Paire or 39-year-old Tommy Haas, the oldest player in the draw, for a place in the third round.

Berdych, who is playing at the Monte-Carlo Country Club for the 13th time in the past 14 years, drew on his big-match experience to prevent Kuznetsov recording one of the biggest wins of his career. The 2005 finalist required two hours for his 14th match win of the season.

Having survived one break point in the first set, Kuznetsov broke Berdych to love for a 4-3 advantage courtesy of his rock-solid backhand. While Berdych came through a 20-point hold for 3-2 in the second set, he immediately grew in confidence to break Kuznetsov for the first time. The 31-year-old Czech went on to fire a backhand winner down the line in the third game of the decider to break Kuznetsov, who is now 0-3 lifetime at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament.

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The Russian, who had earned his place in the main draw by beating former World No. 4 Mikhail Youzhny 7-6(5) in a third set tie-break on Sunday, had Top 10 wins over David Ferrer (2014 Wimbledon) and Stan Wawrinka (2016 Miami) to his name. Berdych had previously beaten Kuznetsov 7-6(4) in a deciding set tie-break in St. Petersburg last year.

Elsewhere, Pablo Cuevas, who captured his third straight Sao Paulo title in March, cruised past 2011 quarter-finalist Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-0 in 78 minutes to break a three-match losing streak against the Serbian.

Undefeated Aljaz Bedene is experiencing a hot-streak of results on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2017, prevailing past all 15 opponents in his path. On Sunday the Brit maintained his success by clinching the Open Citta Della Disfida in Barletta, Italy, for his tour-leading third Challenger trophy of 2017.

The 7-6(4), 6-3 triumph over top seed Gastao Elias backed up his Verrazzano Open title win in France last weekend and improved his impressive record to 14-2 in Challenger finals.

“I am really pleased with the way I played the last two weeks. I have worked hard to get here,” said Bedene. “I stick to my game plan every match, my level of tennis has been consistent this year and I am trying to stay disciplined through every match, and that has brought me success on this level in 2017.”

Playing as second seed in Barletta, Bedene dropped just one set on course to lifting the trophy, adding to his 2011 and 2012 titles at the Open Citta Della Disfida. The Mediterranean country clearly appeals to Bedene, who has now accumulated seven Challenger titles in Italy.

Boom! @AljazBedene wins a second @ATPChallenger ? in a row after beating Elias 7-6, 6-3 in Barletta! #BackTheBrits ????? pic.twitter.com/EtXVDahUPD

— British Tennis (@BritishTennis) 16 April 2017

“I wouldn’t say it’s just Barletta, I am generally very successful in Italy,” joked Bedene. “I love how much the people love tennis here and of course I love the food. However, Barletta was my first Challenger title (2011), so it will always be a special one for me, different to any other.”

A renewed focus and plenty of endeavour have reaped reward for Bedene, but the 27-year-old signals out some misfortune en route to securing the BMW of Dallas Irving Tennis Classic last month for sparking his recent upturn in form.

“It didn’t start well in Irving, I twisted my foot on the Monday and played that tournament injured, but I fought really well there, which I am very proud of,” revealed Bedene. “I think I was playing well at the beginning of the year, lost some tough battles, but I think that foot sprain in Irving changed many things. I showed myself I can play if I stay disciplined, which wasn’t the case in the previous years.”

Bedene has frequently been able to practise and confide in World No. 1 Andy Murray, who was present at the Verrazzano Open to present his countryman with the trophy at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy. Murray’s relentless work ethic has inspired a change in perspective for Bedene.

“Every time I practise with Andy I learned something,” said the 27-year-old. “Just watching him play is very encouraging, he is a very hard worker and sometimes I can’t believe how hard is he working. He’s a pleasure to watch really.”

Back in November 2015 and Bedene was playing at a career-high ranking of No. 45 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. His fortnight of double Challenger titles has seen the Brit surge up 24 places to No. 69, but the Londoner is intent on building on his momentum to reach his season target of being seeded at Grand Slams.

“I have big goals for 2017, to reach the top 32 and to keep enjoying playing the game, I am playing good tennis, changed a few things in my tennis so let’s see what happens,” said Bedene. “I am enjoying it so far. I am playing great tennis at the moment, feeling fit and ready, so if I stay focused on the tasks I have to do, I will be back where I want to be.”

#NextGenATP German Alexander Zverev silenced a pro-Andreas Seppi crowd on Monday with a memorable display of power and touch to oust the experienced Italian 6-1, 6-2 in 68 minutes at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.

Zverev, the No. 14 seed, saved one break point and broke three times in the 27-minute opening set under sun-kissed skies, executing a number of fine drop shot winners from the baseline. Wild card Seppi held his nerve in a 16-point service hold for 1-1 in the second set of their first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting. Zverev broke Seppi in the sixth and eighth games for his 12th match win of the year, which includes the Open Sud de France crown (d. Gasquet).

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World No. 20 Zverev, who leads the Emirates ATP Race To Milan, goes on to face Feliciano Lopez or fellow #NextGenATP and Aircel Chennai Open finalist Daniil Medvedev in the second round.

Elsewhere, 22-year-old Kyle Edmund won an all-British battle against Daniel Evans 7-5, 6-1 in 80 minutes on Court des Princes. Edmund will next challenge fourth seed and nine-time champion Rafael Nadal, who has a 58-4 record at the event.

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