Before playing one of the most memorable finals that are remembered in the last years of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, Stefanos Tsitsipas shared 45 minutes of training with his father and coach, Apostolos, on one of the courts next to the press area of the Royal Tennis Club of Barcelona. Knowing that it will be the details that will make him win a Grand Slam, and his goal at age 22 and after winning Monte Carlo (ATP 1000) and being a finalist in Godó (ATP 500), Apostolos acted accordingly.
He asked the club's technical director for a left-handed boy to act for him as spárring and to simulate what he would later find on the track. In a Godó marked by COVID-19, with hardly any public in the training areasTsitsipas was able to prepare calmly, while his father insisted on the rest and on the reverse, one of his strengths, as was seen shortly after on the Rafa Nadal court.
Stefano Tsitsipas.
ALBERT GEA
But that insistence was not enough for Tsitsipas, who lost his first clay court match of the season (9-1) precisely to the contender for a repeat title at Roland Garros, Rafa Nadal, who already considers the Greek a rival to have. consider: “He is number one this year, he has a lot of talent. If he plays like today he is one of the candidates to win any tournament”, the manacorí commented.
The Greek player himself, after the final, commented the following in the press room: “I have learned that the game never ends until the last point. You always have to do something extra, and more against Rafa. I had a chance to win and I think I could do better. Against Rafa, you never have the certainty that a rally is going to end, you always have to put one more ball in play. You have to be focused at all times and keep playing until the point is completely finished. He is a natural competitor, more than any other player, “he commented.
After a week in Barcelona, Tsitsipas acknowledged that he was close to his goal (“I had my chances, but I'm glad I was so close. Actually, I was an inch away from winning the game. I think luck has also played its role in this match“) and that Nadal is for him” a great source of inspiration. “