Tsitsipas Views Medvedev Defeat As Important ‘Lesson’
Despite falling at the semi-final stage of the Australian Open for a third time on Friday, Stefanos Tsitsipas was feeling positive following his defeat to Daniil Medvedev as he looks to use the experience to develop further.
“I have a long season ahead of me, with a lot of opportunities,” Tsitsipas said in his post-match press conference. “I’m going to try and grab and get the best out of my tennis and get the best out of this experience, so that I can always work towards and help myself improve physically, mentally and improve my game generally. I see today’s performance as a lesson that I can use to move forward.”
The Greek rallied to level the match after losing the first set, but could not find a way past the World No. 2, who prevailed in four sets on Rod Laver Arena. The clash was a repeat of last year’s semi-final in Melbourne, when Medvedev also triumphed, before he lost to Novak Djokovic in the final.
However, the fourth seed, who was making his fifth appearance at the first Grand Slam of the season, was more proud of how he competed on Friday compared to the year before.
“I played way better than I did last time,” Tsitsipas said. “Last year I was completely cooked and exhausted after that five-set match with Rafa [Nadal]. I wasn’t able to recover the way I wanted to recover, and this year I was really into it from the very first point.
“I felt good with my shots, felt good mentally, I felt good in terms of belief and in terms of feeling that passion in the court. I was very close. The first tie-break was an important one. I feel like I could have won that one. Maybe should have followed a different tactic. But again [it is] a lesson. I think it would have been a different match winning that first set.”
The Greek, who underwent elbow surgery in the off-season, praised the performance and work ethic of Medvedev, with the Russian improving to 7-2 in their ATP Head2Head series with his victory.
“He’s a great competitor,” Tsitsipas added. “He runs like [a] marathon runner, he can run for hours and hours. I respect the fact that he’s able to run so much and make it physical out there in every single point. He’s one of the biggest fighters, together with Nadal. He’s earned the win.”
While Tsitsipas’ wait for his first major title goes on, the seven-time tour-level champion believes he will experience success in Melbourne one day.
“Australia has a special place in my heart, and I always feel like I’m at home here,” Tsitsipas said. “I strongly believe I will be able to do very well here one day and give that joy and that happiness to Aussies here and the Greek community. It is a tournament that I very much love, and it is a tournament that I want to thrive at one day.”