ROLAND GARROS

May 26, 2025

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Press Conference

S. TSITSIPAS/T. M. Etcheverry

7-5, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: It's not an easy first round. What are you the most satisfied about today?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Going into the match I knew that my opponent is someone worthy when it comes to a reputation on the tour. I would have considered it a difficult first-round match. I was expecting a fight from his end.

We've had a match before at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters where it seemed like I won easy. But I knew that that was not going to be the case in our new battle here at courts of Paris.

I was quite alert from the beginning of the match and knew that he's going to definitely step up his level, and try to approach this game in a different way. I was reacting to certain things and shots that were coming my way, was trying to come up with a good solution.

Generally satisfied with how things proceeded. Especially when I started finding the momentum on the returns and locking in on my serve. I feel like things started working out pretty well. I was opening up the court pretty nicely. That definitely got to my favor.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. A couple questions about movement on the clay. Some don't like to move on it at all, but you're one of the guys who is excellent on the surface. Looks like you love to move out there. How did you develop that movement in the beginning? Is it still challenging for you?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I grew up in Glyfida, which is a region southwest of Athens. My club only had clay courts. We had five clay courts. Since a young age I developed my tennis around clay. There wasn't a place that I went to play on hard.

I would say that transition came later into my life, getting better on hard came at later stages of my life which I would consider 14, 15 years old. I started stepping up my game in terms of hard court results and hard court improvements.

I would definitely owe that to my upbringing, the way I started tennis. Clay was a big surface for me growing up. I always felt comfortable.

I really don't know whether that was because I grew up in it or actually liked it, and the two combinations kind of blended in pretty nicely.

I remember my coach used to spend a lot of time working on movement, footwork, ways that you can utilize clay to move around easier than you would using your feet all the time, having to step.

The importance that maybe some neglect or maybe don't focus too much on, you are expected to maybe have your feet constantly moving on other surfaces, positioning yourself in the right place at the right time.

I feel like on clay it's slightly easier because you can use the slide really to your advantage. Easier on your legs, as well. Not as hard, not as much impact when you're sliding.

I feel like that allows me to perhaps move easier than I would having to get into the ball. I think that's what separates the clay. If you know how to slide, you have a big advantage. That definitely helps you cutting corners around the court.

Q. It seems like it's an art form. Is playing on clay still a work in progress for you or when you step on it...

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: It's always a work in progress. When I first play on clay court, the first few days, obviously I'm not used to it. It takes me a few days to start adapting to the difference that clay court has to offer.

It's a beautiful thing that you're able to slide for so long in such a way because other surfaces don't allow you to do that. We've seen recently in the last decade or so players that are sliding on hard courts, which was definitely not a thing before, quite new to the modern tennis.

But clay has always been there. I feel like it allows you to defend on shots that perhaps would have not been possible on other surfaces because you would really be out of position, in a very awkward stance to hit it that way.

Clay definitely allows you to recalibrate, get back into the rally, even if you're in a very defensive position. That sliding definitely helps a lot.

It's like an art form because you start the set, the court is clean, it's polished, no marks. You finish a set and you can see your entire movement on court, what you have done well and where you have positioned yourself on returns specifically. You can definitely learn a lot from that, use it as feedback.

I feel like I don't know if other players do it, but I try to analyze from that. I always practice my sliding. I trust my sliding. I feel it all comes from trusting the way you slide around the court. If you trust your feet, it comes naturally.