Stefanos Tsitsipas: “I Don’t Feel Inspired”

World No.8 Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is capped as the future Grand Slam champion was stunned by Andrey Rublev in the first round of the US Open 2019 on Tuesday.

After the Greek star was upset 6-4, 6-7, 7-6, 7-5 by the Russian, Tsitsipas said he feels like he’s doing the same thing over and over again and doesn’t feel inspired as his brain can’t really take it anymore.

Stefanos Tsitsipas recalled his painful first-round defeat to Italy’s Thomas Fabbiano at the Wimbledon Championships 2019 and also regretted his reaction in the press conference. The 21-year-old suggested that he will not react as he did in Wimbledon.

He said, “I’m not going to react again like Wimbledon, that’s the only thing I know. I saw myself in that interview a couple of days later and it didn’t feel right. My reaction was too much.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has played 55 matches in the 2019 season so far with a win-loss record of 37-18 feels that he is doing the same thing again and again.

Tsitsipas said in the post-match press conference, “I feel like I’m doing the same thing over and over again, and my brain can’t really take it anymore…I don’t feel inspired. I don’t feel like I’m chasing something.”

Reflecting on his shock first-round loss, Stefanos Tsitsipas said, “First, second-round losses aren’t acceptable for me anymore… I was excited from when I saw that number 5 next to my name. I want to get back there. It felt great.” 

Stefanos Tsitsipas was also involved in a heated argument with the chair umpire, Damien Dumusois during his match at the Flushing Meadows. The Greek gun was given multiple warnings for on-court coaching and time violation during the nearly four-hour match.

In the fourth set, when Tsitsipas was battling cramps, he was given a time violation for not returning to the court quickly enough during a changeover. The next-gen star was then heard saying to the chair umpire, “You have something against me, I don’t know what? because you’re French, probably. And you’re all weirdos.”

“I wish all the umpires were like Mohamed Lahyani,” Tsitsipas said. “I believe he’s the best out in the game, and we need more like him in tennis because he’s fair to everyone. I feel like some of them have preferences when they are on the court.”

“This chair umpire, I don’t know, he has something against me. I don’t know why,” Tsitsipas said after being asked about his “weirdos” remark to the chair umpire. Stefanos believes that the chair umpire treated him and his team unfairly during today’s match.

He concluded, “The umpire was very incorrect in what he was telling me during the match. I don’t know what this chair umpire has in specific against my team but he’s been complaining and telling me that my team talks all of the time when I’m out on the court playing.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas has now lost two back-to-back first-round matches at the Grand Slams. This was also his fourth consecutive loss on the ATP Tour after falling short of Nick Kyrgios in the semifinals of the Washington Open.