Stefanos Tsitsipas believes Felix Auger-Aliassime ‘makes him a better player’ after beating him in the final of Marseille.
The Greek star successfully defended a title for the first time in his career, condemning Auger-Aliassime to a fifth career final defeat in five attempts.
However, Tsitsipas also had some words of encouragement for the Canadian, who is still a teenager but making a serious impression on the ATP Tour.
“It’s great to be fighting on the court against you,” Tsitsipas told Auger-Aliassime on-court after the match.
“I feel like you make me a better a player. And I hope I make you that too.
“I would like to congratulate you on a great week. Someone had to win the title – it was a very close match.
“I’ve been following you, even when you’ve not been playing the same tournaments as me.
“Keep putting in the extra work and I’m sure you can achieve a lot of things in the future which will be very good for our sport and for the younger generations.”
