ROLAND GARROS

May 28, 2025

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Press Conference

M. GIGANTE/S. Tsitsipas

6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Stef, sorry about today. Can you walk us through the match. What do you think was missing today?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Disappointing end to this match. I expected bigger things from myself these two weeks. So to be out of a tournament like this so early definitely hurts me, and I will try and reflect and see the particular things that kind of went wrong and work around those.

I have to give credit to my opponent, of course, because he played incredible tennis. And his athleticism, his determination throughout the match, impressed me, and he was definitely a very strong opponent today for me.

I wish him the best in this tournament. I think he can do great things.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Did you go back to your old racquet? And if you did, can you talk us through that decision?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, it's mainly trying to go back to what feels comfortable to me and what I know best. I had a few disappointing results on the previous clay court tournaments with it, and I felt like perhaps I didn't deserve to lose matches in that particular way that I did. I felt like I kind of gave away the match. Unforced errors were kind of out of control in those two, three matches that I had.

I might have actually played good matches with it on clay and might have gained on some things that I wasn't able to gain before, but I didn't have a great feeling with it, so I chose to go back to something that feels comfortable and I know best, something that works and has served me pretty well on clay the last couple of years.

Q. Does it feel a bit that you're kind of searching for solutions? You talked before the tournament how the level has never been higher on the tour. I wonder if today kind of reinforces that maybe.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, that's a tricky thing when you have to face an opponent that you don't know much about. I'm sure he kind of went into the match not expecting too much of himself. I think it's quite normal. He might have felt prepared and ready to take on the match and take on the difficult task of having to, I guess, play me.

I think he did that exceptionally well. He handled the pressure moments very well. Played mature tennis. I seemed to be playing immature sometimes during the match, and obviously I'm not extremely happy about that.

So I've got to compartmentalize myself a little bit and try and get back to my old routines, the way I was able to construct certain things and not have things kind of flow out of control the way they did today.

But on the other hand, I also have to obviously give credit to him, because he made me reach that stage too.

Q. Do you think it was almost easier in some ways when you were coming up and there were fewer expectations around you, whereas now, like you say, you're a player that has a big reputation players want to beat?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I still want to be the best player in the world and I still want to do great things around this sport that I chose to play. My attention and focus is always to try and improve any aspect of my game.

I'm an optimistic person. I don't want to, you know, use any excuses or anything like that, so my entire focus is on how can we come to solutions, solve certain things.

It's a constant puzzle. I'm ambitious, and I want to prove it on the tennis court. Things have definitely changed over the last couple of years, and I know that I find myself in a completely different position now.

I just need to use my experience a little bit more wisely, I would say. My experience sometimes kind of stabs me I feel like, instead of utilizing it in a more professional and profound way.

Q. A lot of players talk about what a grind the tour can be, how demanding it can be. Obviously things have been tougher for you over the last couple of years. Do you still love the sport as much as you always did? Do you love playing it as much as you always did?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, one thing I have dealt the last couple of years that I wasn't so much facing before were the injuries that popped up. Psychologically, they did a lot of harm to me.

There are a lot of different, how can I say, things that kind of came up after those injuries which made me feel a little discomforts, made me lose a little bit of hope in terms of how my body can respond to certain situations and the demands of the tour that are constant.

The pressure that my body has gone through in order to sustain those matches and long fights, I feel like I have been fresher for sure in the past, and I'm just trying to find that balance again of how can I go match after match feeling the freshest that I can and feeling in the best possible shape that I can.

I feel like the more years pass, I kind of came to an understanding of how important that is in order to go for big titles and try and do something, you know, important and useful.

Q. You said you were a bit immature at times during the match. What do you mean by that? Maybe you're being a bit too hard on yourself. What do you mean by "immature"?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: There were a few games that I gave away double faults, unforced errors that I personally didn't feel like I was pressured by a lot.

And of course it's absolutely normal that the opponent will feel great after those unforced errors and mistakes come. I would feel amazing too.

So in that sense, I feel like my focus kind of faded away for quite a bit, and I wasn't fully present in the moment. So I would describe that immaturity, not knowing how to handle those situations a little bit more conservative and not so impulsive.

So that's why I said this.