No Shoe, No Problem For Stefanos

Not a lot has gone wrong for #NextGenATP Stefanos Tsitsipas at this week’s Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell — except for losing his shoe in the middle of a point.

The 19-year-old was leading 3-0 in the opening set against Pablo Carreno Busta on Saturday and held a 15/30 advantage on the Spaniard’s serve. But when Tsitsipas slid to his right to whip a heavy forehand high over the net, his left shoe slipped off. While his shot landed in, the teenager was unable to win the point.

“Not sure I’ve ever seen that, especially on a clay court,” former World No. 4 James Blake said with a chuckle while commentating on the match on Tennis Channel. “He might need to tie those a little tighter!”

And while he let slip the opening in Carreno Busta’s service game, it did not stop Tsitsipas from regrouping to become the first Greek man to reach an ATP World Tour final since Nicholas Kalogeropoulos in 1973 (Des Moines, Iowa).

“I cannot explain it. [It was] probably because of the shoelaces,” Tsitsipas said. “I should tie my shoelaces more.”

It is not the first time Tsitsipas has had a shoe malfunction in the middle of a match, either. In last year’s Antwerp quarter-finals, the Greek needed his Dad’s shoelaces to finish off a victory against Belgian David Goffin. Two shoe incidents on the ATP World Tour, two triumphs for Tsitsipas.