World No. 118 Thiago Monteiro upset Stefanos Tsitsipas in his opening match at the Madrid Open, sending him out of the competition.
Tsitsipas had his poorest performance at the ATP Masters 1000 competition since making his debut in 2018 after losing to the qualifier, 4-6, 4-6.
The world No. 7 player expressed gratitude for his Brazilian opponent in spite of the setback, saying, “I had a very good opponent on the other side of the net.” Every time I played short, he punished me by creating amazing shots. I was unable to gauge the court’s depth.
All I want is to be able to come back the way I did in the last game. During my returns, I felt out of rhythm the entire time. My body was moving all over the place, and I felt really out of balance.
Tsitsipas had been playing well lately; he had advanced to the Barcelona Open final and won the Monte Carlo Masters to go back into the top 10. This unexpected setback comes after a run of better performances.
The 2019 Madrid Open champion hinted after the game that his performance yesterday might have been impacted by his recent success in deep events.
Tsitsipas remarked, “It’s not a great feeling, but I have to accept it and move on.” “My opponent was completely prepared for this match, and I may not have been. As a result, he emerged victorious. He was simply more present. He won because his senses were sharper.
“I saw a few improvements that I managed to make throughout the match,” the 25-year-old continued. They arrived rather late. They arrived during the contest somewhat late. However, I believe that I make an effort to absorb the lessons from my advancements and use them the following time I play on the court.
Tsitsipas, who is also a former finalist, will now take a week off before playing in the Italian Open.
Inside the baseline…
Before the clay court season began, Stefanos Tsitsipas had a difficult few months. However, he made it to back-to-back finals and won his 11th career championship in the Monte Carlo Masters. Therefore, in the big picture, this unexpected loss cannot be considered too much of a setback. But with Roland Garros drawing near, perhaps concerns would start to arise if Tsitsipas lost badly in Rome.
