[ad_1]
Tennis – Australian Open – Men’s Singles Final – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 29, 2023 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece with the runner-up trophy after losing the final match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
MELBOURNE – Stefanos Tsitsipas dreamed of holding the Australian Open trophy aloft after bowing out on Sunday night’s final but Novak Djokovic finally gave the confident Greek a rude awakening.
In a rematch of the 2021 French Open decider, Tsitsipas lost 6-3 7-6(4) 7-6(5) as the Serbian claimed his 10th Australian Open title and 22nd Grand Slam title against Rafa Nadal.
Despite falling short again in his goal of becoming Greece’s first Grand Slam champion and world number one, Tsitsipas remained philosophical in defeat.
“Of course, I dreamed about the trophy, lifting the trophy. I even dreamed last night when I was sleeping,” the 24-year-old told reporters.
“The desire is there. I really really want it. But only dreams will not come true. You got it
to act.
“Losing the final is not the best feeling in the world, for sure.
“But it’s always better to play in the final than to be stuck
lost in the semi-finals.”
Despite a good fortnight at Melbourne Park, third seed Tsitsipas was not at his best in the final, although he refused to admit it.
Serving wobbly costs the first flight and forehand usually has a huge impact on responsibility throughout, producing 27 unforced errors against 11 winners.
Djokovic barely gave him a chance on serve, and the Serbian saved one set point that Tsitsipas held against him in the second set with a forehand winner.
Tsitsipas praised Djokovic as “the greatest” to hold the racket in his runner-up speech.
He was also effusive in his press conference, saying the 35-year-old Serb had made him a better player.
“Taking our donkeys is always a great lesson every time,” he said.
“I think it’s an important part of my career, to have players like him who will help me grow and become better
something bigger.”
At 24, Tsitsipas has his career ahead of him and can look forward to clear air as the likes of Djokovic and Nadal close their rackets.
While admitting he needs to improve some things about his game, confidence cannot be one of them.
“I don’t see any reason to lower my expectations or goals. I was born to be a champion,” he said.
“I could feel it in my blood. I could feel it as a competitive kid when I was young. It was something that was in me.
Get the hottest sports news straight to your inbox
Read Next
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & 70+ other titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to news, download from 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
For suggestions, complaints, or questions, please contact us.
[ad_2]
Source link