Stefanos Tsitsipas requested to ‘take it to the next level’ by Roger Federer
Stefanos Tsitsipas fell to his lowest ranking since 2019 last month, meaning that there are now no players with a one-handed backhand left inside the top 10, and Roger Federer is hoping that the Greek can ‘have another breakthrough’.
Tsitsipas has struggled for form in recent months, with his last final on the ATP Tour coming seven months ago when he won the title in Los Cabos.
And this continued at Indian Wells this week, with the 25-year-old beating Lucas Pouille and Frances Tiafoe before exiting the tournament to Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round.
As a result, Tsitsipas will remain outside the top 10 and Federer has spoken to Cosmote TV about the former world No.3, “Good, I mean, I obviously lost against him a bunch of times and I think he’s a great player, but I would like to see him taking it to the next level. So I wish him very well. Of course, Tsitsipas is still doing well, and I hope he can do great this year and have another breakthrough.”
Federer and Tsitsipas played each other four times, with all of their meetings taking place in 2019 and both players getting two wins each.
Tsitsipas is now set to head to the Miami Open for the second half of the sunshine double next week, while Federer continues to enjoy his retirement from the sport.
Inside the baseline…
Stefanos Tsitsipas has not looked himself in recent months, or from the 2023 clay court season for that matter, at least not for an entire tournament. So, it is no surprise that Roger Federer is rooting for Tsitsipas to regain form, as the one-handed backhand seems to becoming a dying art, and Federer has one of the most iconic one-handed backhands in history.
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