23-year-old American, Frances Tiafoe, caused the biggest upset of day one at Wimbledon Championships 2021. He defeated the third seed and reigning French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets.
Throughout their match, the crowd in Court No.1 heavily favored the young American. Subsequently, Tiafoe produced some of his best tennis to beat one of the most promising next-generation stars. The final scoreline: 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.
The result begged the question: What went wrong for the Greek professional in two weeks? Tsitsipas answered in his post-match press conference.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas on what went wrong at Wimbledon Championships 2021
Inarguably, the 22-year-old Tsitsipas has the game to overcome even the bests in tennis today. Only two weeks ago, he was one set away from his maiden Grand Slam title over World No.1 Novak Djokovic. However, nobody saw a first-round exit against Tiafoe in Wimbledon for the World No.4.
Notably, Tsitsipas went on a two-week break after his heartbreaking loss in the Roland-Garros final. He believes that is why his body was not ready for the clay to grass transition.
“I was thinking maybe I should have played the week before Wimbledon, either Mallorca or Eastbourne, I’m not sure. Any of these tournaments would have helped, for sure, get me in a better shape, get my tennis ready for the grass-court season,” Tsitsipas said.
One of the many magnificent shots produced by @FTiafoe ?#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/OjNWXJ96Sh
? Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2021
On the other side, Djokovic and World No.2 Daniil Medvedev participated in Mallorca Championships in doubles and singles, respectively. Consequently, the Serbian ace booked a comfortable seat in round two, defeating British wildcard entrant Jack Draper.
Moreover, the Russian, who won the Mallorca singles title, has not begun his campaign yet. He will go against resilient German Jan-Lennard Struff.
Watch this story: Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray: First Strike at Wimbledon Championship 2021
What’s next for Tsitsipas after the early exit in Wimbledon?
Despite the loss against Tiafoe, the Wimbledon campaign is not yet over for Tsitsipas. He will play doubles with his brother Petros and look forward to winning there.
I think my soulmate might be Petros. @abnamrowtt pic.twitter.com/mXeTeI1onC
— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@steftsitsipas) February 28, 2021
Most significantly, the highest-ranked Greek would want to analyze things before going to Japan for the Tokyo Olympics. Probably, representing his country and winning a medal would be his priority now.
There is no doubt that Tsitsipas indeed would come back stronger from this. Also, fans would miss his magical one-handed backhand thoroughly at Wimbledon Championships 2021.
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Do you think Tsitsipas can win an Olympic Gold this year?
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Also Read: SHOCKING: Age-Old Traditions Broken at Wimbledon Championships 2021 Amid Coronavirus Pandemic