“Paid off in the End”: Filip Krajinovic Opens Up After Defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in ATP Hamburg Quarter-Finals

Bouncing back to victory after a heart-breaking loss in a grand slam final can never be easy. The process of moving past that defeat usually takes a toll on athletes. It appears Stefanos Tsitsipas is currently in that phase as he lost in the quarter-finals at ATP Hamburg Open to Filip Krajinovic.

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After a five-set loss to Novak Djokovic in the French Open finals, Tsitsipas chose to take rest and prepare well for Wimbledon, where he was yet to make his mark.

In all honesty, it was a tough opening-round match for the Greek as he had to face the American Frances Tiafoe at SW19. The disadvantage of not playing a grass-court tournament ahead of Wimbledon had its effect on Tsitsipas as he was sent packing by the American in four sets.

Stefanos Tsitsipas lost in a three-setter to Filip Krajinovic at ATP Hamburg Open

More than the Roland Garros final, this first-round defeat shattered the next-gen star as he mentioned being unable to cope with the loss ahead of Hamburg Open.

However, the world number four made a striking start to his German Open campaign as he survived a tricky second-round matchup against Dominik Koepfer.

Those who watched Tsitsipas play Koepfer would realize that the Greek was yet to find his range as he couldn’t play his usual, aggressive game.

Coming to the quarter-final match today, Tsitsipas raced to quick 5-0 lead against the Serbian as he didn’t allow Krajinovic to free his arms in the first set.

But, things changed drastically in the second as Tsitsipas’ serve began to wear down. His first-serve didn’t fire up like it did in the previous set as Krajinovic got the momentum to thrash the Greek, 6-1.

While Stefanos was expected to make a strong comeback in the deciding set, the Serbian had already made a strong foothold on his serve and refused to budge. As a result, the Greek bowed out of the tournament after losing the final set, 3-6.

Talking about a memorable victory over the world number four, Filip Krajinovic said that he was extremely pleased with the fight he put during the match.

“Happy to beat Tsitsipas” – Filip Krajinovic

“He started really well, really aggressively. I could not find my game, could not find my serve, he was overpowering me. But at the end of the first set, I started to feel better, I was going for my shots. It paid off in the end. I am happy to beat Tsitsipas, he is an amazing player”, the Serbian mentioned.

Filip Krajinovic will next face compatriot Laslo Djere in the semi-finals. Djere eased past Nikoloz Basilashvili in the quarter-finals earlier today.

“I always play well here, and I hope I keep playing well here. Djere is an amazing player, so it is going to be a tight match next”, concluded the Serb.

Even though Tsitsipas lost just a couple of matches after the French Open final, it will be interesting to see how he bounces back at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

Also read: WATCH: Stefanos Tsitsipas Breaks His Racquet During a Rally and Loses Match to Filip Krajinovic in ATP Hamburg Open 2021