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ROLAND GARROS

June 1, 2019

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Paris, France

S. TSITSIPAS/F. Krajinovic

7-5, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I wonder how you feel about the fact that it had to be done in two days. And after that, I wonder how you feel about the fact Stan had to win in two days. Does that make it easier in your mind that your next opponent had to play over two days to win?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I'm not sure how to answer that. I don't know. Something unusual? Doesn't happen that often.

The fact that this Grand Slam has no lights, that's the reason we stopped, so I don't know. I feel like at 5-All I had the momentum and kind of ruined it. So we both managed to win. I don't know what to say.

Q. You seem like a cool guy to me, and I was wondering what aspects of your personality you think you show us when you are on the court?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Very feary, concentrated. I'm not smiling, so I'm very serious when I play. That's how I feel (smiling).

Q. Why?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Because to me it's a serious job. Tennis is something that I make a living off, so I take it very seriously. I try to be very selfish in what I'm doing and not be too emotional or hurt someone's feelings when I'm playing. I think I have to be tough to get the maximum out of it.

So that's the main reason I'm so serious and focused and always have that game face (smiling).

But if I would describe myself, probably -- I don't know. Optimistic? Creative?

Q. You just said that you lost momentum. What do you do in those moments? What do you tell yourself to regain it?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: What do I tell myself? Stay in the moment and play the way you played before, because -- yeah, at 5-All, I won two games in a row, broke him. I think it was better for him that we stopped that moment so, as you saw, he went in, and, to me it seemed like he knew more of what he was doing.

What do I say to myself? "Fight hard."

Q. Yesterday early in the match you were mad at yourself and you said, Where is my mind? It's not here. Can you talk about what you were going through. Then obviously you picked it up after that.
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Oh, yeah, the start of the match was horrible. Never in my probably entire ATP WorldTour career till now never had such a bad start in a match. I felt like I was drowning on my own. I almost got broken twice in the first set. Survived that second break. Somehow won the first set. I don't know, it was like a miracle to me, because he seemed to have total control of everything.

And then I got my mind straight. I don't know. I was just kind of staying -- although I was a break down, I was kind of balancing things out somehow.

Yeah, in the beginning, I don't know if you heard the noise that was coming -- was it from Suzanne Lenglen? I'm not sure. Court 1 probably. People were booing someone. That was kind of frustrating to me when I was playing. This booing wouldn't stop. And during the point and everything. But I shouldn't think of it too much, in my opinion.

But to me that moment, yeah, everything was going in reverse (smiling). Yeah.

Q. Following up from that, you got pretty frustrated at times during the match, and I learned some nice Greek words from you. Do you sometimes play better when you're able to vent and just get it out instead of...
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I had moments in my career until now where I actually played better when I let it go all out. I kind of thought about it sometimes that if I wouldn't react to that, I probably wouldn't be that -- not motivated but angry when I'm playing. That gives me kind of a boost when I'm down.

But it's not correct. It's not the right attitude. I try to fix it as much as I can (smiling). I'm not proud of it.

Q. If I have it right, you just tweeted out an interesting saying that: Earth and water have always been as they are. Could you reflect on that? What does that mean to you?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I have no clue what that means, because that's an ancient Greek quote, and I don't speak ancient Greek. All of these quotes that I write are all in ancient Greek. It is something about water and earth combined together.

There are some interesting ones on line you can find. I have been doing it in Australia, as well. I have been posting in ancient Greek. It seems cool to me. I don't know why.

Q. You're first Greek to win three games in a row in Roland Garros since 1936. What's your reaction? And then, do you feel as an ambassador of Greek...
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: It's a small country. I don't know. It's cool. Not that we have many tennis players from Greece, but it's cool to be the first one since 1936 you said? '36?

Q. '36?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Yes, that's before Open era. Wow.

Yeah, I'm proud, proud to be the first one in Open era probably, if you would call this way. I think there is more than that, in my opinion. More records to break than just this.

Q. You're playing against Stan. It may be the worst time to play against him since two years because he's really returning as he's not far from his best. What can you say about that, about his way to return at the top level since...
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I know he has been struggling with some injuries, and he had a serious operation recently, so to me, it seems like he has found his form, his game. And as we all know, he did quite well at the French Open plenty of times, not just once.

He's a dangerous player. He knows clay very well. He has a big game.

Q. How is your YouTube channel doing? After Australian Open it kind of boomed. And did Casey Neistat contact you and do you have anything planned with him?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I mean, I think it's obvious that it went big after long time now, since Australian Open.

He contacted me, yeah, few days ago. Gave me his phone number. That's cool.

Q. Back to your getting through the first week, you had a real dominant performance in the first round and the last two have been really good fights. You struggled and had a good battle and again today. How would you assess your performance over the first week, and do you feel you're ready for a big battle with Stan?
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: It all depends how I start the match. If I start the match well, if I start the match by taking an advantage early on, he's much older than me, I'm much younger than him, so I think when it comes to physical, I guess I have a little bit of an advantage; but when it comes to experience, he's a bit more experienced than me.

Yeah. What was the question?

Q. How you felt about your first three rounds and your performance.
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: It could have been easier, to be honest with you. I didn't make it easier for me. I don't know if -- I mean, not teasing, but making things tougher than I should. And I think if I reverse that and do the exact opposite of that in the next match, it might help me on my long-run performance here in Roland Garros.

Q. How are you finding the 25-second rule between serves? I know that's something we talked about at NextGen and you had to get your own towel. That was talked about quite a bit. How are you finding? Is it rushing you? Is your pace good enough where you're in the moment now? Do you feel like 25 seconds is enough or would you prefer more? Just talk about that a little bit more.
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I haven't noticed the 25-second shot clock thing at all. I don't even think about it. Now that you reminded me, I just -- yeah, I thought about it, that actually exists (smiling).

No, nothing to add. I mean, 25 seconds is 25 seconds. I think it's fair for everyone. I might take some more time than my opponents, which happens sometimes, but nothing to add on that.

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