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Stefanos Tsitsipas Monte Carlo 2021
ATP Tennis Players, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Tennis News

‘I want to show something good,’ says Stefanos Tsitsipas ahead of Sinner test


Stefanos Tsitsipas admitted that the hype around Jannik Sinner has given him extra motivation ahead of their semi-final clash in Barcelona. 

Tsitsipas booked his place in the semi-finals with a crushing display against Felix Auger-Aliassime, whilst Sinner produced a masterclass to overcome Andrey Rublev in straight sets.

The pair have only met twice before and share the head-to-head record, with both players winning one match each on the clay surface in Rome.

Tsitsipas, who is fresh off his clay victory in Monte Carlo, is eager to assert his dominance against the 19-year-old Italian.

He said: “He [Sinner] is someone that has been growing a lot on the circuit and has so many great wins recently. He is definitely one to look seriously into. I want to show something good against him.

“He is younger than me but so was Felix. I don’t like to look at it this way because we all play tennis at the end of the day.”

Sinner, who is the youngest Barcelona semi-finalist since 2005 when Rafael Nadal won his first title as an 18-year-old, was full of praise for the Greek star.

The Italian said: “He is an incredible player. He won Monte Carlo last week and now he is playing good again here.”

“I watched a little bit of his last match and he is a great player. I still have to see some videos against him in Rome last year and the year before to understand how he is playing.”

As a 17-year-old emerging on the tour, Sinner was comprehensively beaten by his upcoming opponent in just over an hour 6-3 6-2.

However, a year later, Sinner produced a huge upset to oust Tsitsipas 6-1, 6-7(9), 6-2 before losing to Grigor Dimitrov in the next round.

The Italian, who is making his debut in Barcelona this year, is now 18-6 on the year.


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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.