After Altmaier & Reyes-Varela defeated the Greek pair in the Australian Open doubles match, the Tsitsipas brothers exited to lament wasted opportunities.
January 16, 2024
In their first match together since their October Antwerp championship run, Stefanos and Petros Tsitsipas lost by a small margin on Tuesday in the opening round of the Australian Open.
The brothers lost to Daniel Altmaier and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela 7-5, 7-5, missing eight break opportunities, four of which were also set chances in the opening set. Despite the Greek opponents’ ten aces, Altmaier and Reyes-Varela prevailed in the last three games of each set to progress.
Maximo Gonzalez and Andrés Molteni, the sixth-seeded Argentines, defeated Pedro Cachin and Roberto Carballes Baena 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the second round, while Nicolas Mahut and Édouard Roger-Vasselin, the thirteenth-seeded Frenchmen, defeated Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry, the Argentines, 6-4, 6-1.
Julian Cash and Robert Galloway were defeated by Frenchmen Quintin Halys and Adrian Mannarino in the only three-set match of Tuesday’s early doubles action in Melbourne, 5-7, 7-5, 6-1.
Tsitsipas yearns for Wimbledon seclusion following his “party court” excursion.
In the more conventional setting of Rod Laver Arena, Tsitsipas prevailed in his opening singles encounter on Monday. However, he was less fortunate in the doubles, losing to Daniel Altmaier and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela 7-5, 7-5, alongside Petros.
On January 16, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia, at Melbourne Park, Petros and Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece celebrate a point in their round one doubles match against Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela of Mexico and Daniel Altmaier of Germany.
Following his doubles match on Tuesday on the Australian Open’s new “party court” with his brother Petros, Stefanos Tsitsipas was left pining for the subdued grace of Wimbledon.
Court Six at Melbourne Park currently features a double-decker bar running down one side, echoing the party holes that have grown popular at various golf tournaments. A DJ plays music to accompany the action.
In the more conventional setting of Rod Laver Arena, Tsitsipas prevailed in his opening singles encounter on Monday. However, he was less fortunate in the doubles, losing to Daniel Altmaier and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela 7-5, 7-5, alongside Petros.
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Both Tsitsipas brothers acknowledged that the atmosphere was a distraction, calling it a “really bizarre concept,” but they did not hold it responsible for their lackluster results.
While Stefanos acknowledged that there is always a desire to enhance tennis as a product for entertainment, he noted that any initiatives to allow spectators to roam around and create as much noise as possible at other sporting events would require careful thought.
“It’s difficult to zone in and get in the zone when you see movement and stuff going around you—something you don’t know until you’re a tennis player,” he remarked.
A tiny yellow ball is flying around, and it occasionally calls for more than 100% of your attention. We have a problem if even 5% of you are affected by it.
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“I’m not sure what the underlying science is.” I would like to see some form of experimentation to determine the extent to which it affects concentration.
Stefanos stated he had mostly been able to tune out the noise, while Petros said he had heard comparable noise on the outside courts at past tournaments, like the U.S. Open.
The seventh seed in singles said, “I’m not a big admirer of it.” Because of the quiet atmosphere and ability to concentrate solely on your game, Wimbledon is one of my favorite tournaments.
