World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas started his Monte Carlo Open with a bang as he defeated Australian Open semi finalist Aslan Karatsev in straight sets. Tsitsipas won the match 6-3, 6-4 and did not allow the ATP Dubai Open champion to have any chance in the very first round.
Tsitsipas in the post-match interview shared how Karatsev is a very good player and he was happy to get the better of him. The Russian has had a great season till now and therefore it was important for Tsitsipas to execute his plans properly. He was pretty satisfied with the outcome.
“I knew I had to face a difficult opponent today. Aslan has [had some] great results this year… I managed to push him back and attack with my forehand. Things worked out pretty well for me,” said Tsitsipas in the interview.
The Greek explained how his experience of playing on clay courts earlier has helped him and how he enjoyed a tough first match against Karatsev.
“My clay court experience helps a lot to come back each year stronger, knowing that I have done better before. It was a very beautiful game out there and I enjoyed it,” added the World No.5 player.
The 22-year-old revealed that he is working hard every day to improve his game and also in becoming consistent. So that he can reach the level of the legends. He believes that he needs to do a lot of work before he can reach that level.
“I’m putting [in] hours on the court, trying to become consistent [and] get close to the legends of our sport. I am working every single day. I am very far from that, but it is definitely a dream of mine that I want to achieve one day,” the Greek concluded.
After defeating Karatsev, Tsitsipas will progress to the third round of the Monte Carlo Open and will face 24-year-old Chilean tennis player Cristian Garín. He will look to replicate this form to the next round as well. If he keeps on performing consistently at a high level there are some chances that he may shock everyone by winning the Monte Carlo Open. He also needs to take care of his body as he is also featuring in the Men’s Doubles with his brother Petros Tsitsipas and they have progressed through to the third round. It will be interesting to see how he manages to perform in both events.
