US OPEN

August 31, 2026

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Press Conference

S. TSITSIPAS/A. Fils

4-6, 7-6, 6-1, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on a superb four-set win. If you could, assess your level of play today.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: It was a very psychologically demanding match. I knew that from the start.

He came from a good run in Cincinnati, so I knew I was dealing with a good and in-shape Arthur Fils. My goal from the beginning of the match was just try and stay as much and as long as possible on the tennis court.

Mentally, I was ready for a big battle. I didn't know how good he was going to play. One thing I had control over is the way I would behave on court and the way I would try and keep myself for as long as possible on the tennis court.

I'm extremely proud of myself with the way I fought. There were a lot of difficult moments today and very psychologically demanding, especially when you're up and you get broken and you feel like you're so close to, as we say in Greece, drink the water from the well (smiling).

Yeah, just generally a great assessment of my game. I haven't played like that in a while, so it's a refreshing feeling to see myself compete in that manner and being able to fully integrate myself into an electric atmosphere such as the one that New York offers. I had a lot of fun out there.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. We know how philosophical you are, but can you exude a little bit or express your joy in a victory like this right now?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, of course you saw it in my reaction after the match.

I actually was very calm in that last game, like, very calm. I wasn't thinking too much of what the outcome might be in a few points from there, so I was just playing it each and every point individually. Wasn't traveling too much in the future. It was a refreshing feeling to see that ace come out of my racquet.

It's a big win for me. As much as, you know, I've been competing out there for a while now, it's one of those that really adds to my game.

Q. How would you describe the ups and downs you have experienced the last couple of years and how they contribute to your feeling right now?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: It's very easy to not feel confident, especially when you haven't beaten top players in a long time. That's why I'm very ecstatic about today. It's an important, good victory for me, for my confidence.

It's one of those moments that you are able to look back into and be, like, I've still got the game that I'm looking for, and I still got the shots and the quality is still there.

These matches, they just give me a lot to work with. I didn't get to play a lot of those this year. I didn't have deep runs in tournaments, as much as I would have wished. So wins like this add a lot to my personal growth as a player, and they definitely provide belief and add more to my game in terms of, you know, all the sacrifices I have been putting out there, working so hard, and just showing up early in the morning for practice sessions and then moving on to the gym.

These are the things you always think of. And the people that are the closest to you, these are the type of people that come to your mind when you're able to conquer a match like that.

Q. You sort of say it's reassuring or a reassurance you could play like this. Did you ever doubt that your level could be back to where it was or that kind of...

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: When you don't really have a lot of feedback on matches where you've become victorious, it starts to drag on your mind a little bit. I feel like it's normal. Every human being, whether they're the best in the world or not, they're going to lie to you saying that they might not have a little bit of a doubt or something in their mind that reminds them perhaps of, like, you weren't able to close it out or you weren't able to win a match like that in the last couple of matches that you've had.

It's very important to withstand difficult matches like that and then see the result that you so hard worked for during a match like that, allowing yourself to just be completely free out on the court and play without any expectations. I'm loving this feeling.

Q. What did you tell yourself in the second set when he was up 5-2?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: What did I say?

Q. Tell yourself.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I mean, at this point, nothing can go worse, to be honest (smiling). I don't know. Just stayed within the moment.

It would be a lie to say that I was expecting a break. I was just trying to play point after point and not think too much of what the outcome might be.

I got a few points here and there, like maybe double faults, as far as I remember. I stepped in, took the ball early, started attacking a little bit more. He was caught on the back foot a few times. A break sort of changed the whole momentum of the match.

I feel like I got myself back into the match, and the belief kept rising. Like, I wasn't sure of how good my level was in that particular moment, but when that break happened, I have every reason to believe that I've got a chance now.

Q. What is it like for you to be feeling the way you are now considering, I guess, where you were almost exactly a year ago leaving here, the shape your back was in. I know you said you weren't able to walk for a couple of days. Just thinking about what the future was like then, just putting that into perspective.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: You're going to make me tear up, man. Jesus, I forgot about that completely.

It was tough. Last year I was not able to walk properly for two days after my defeat. It was something that I never really experienced before as a player.

I remember saying to my team, I don't know for how long that's going to continue. So...tough. Tough moments.

I stayed strong. I kept believing. I knew deep inside that I will have a moment again, but that match was -- it hurt a lot, not only mentally but physically too. I was in a lot of doubt for many weeks after that.

Q. Congrats on the win. Sorry, on another topic, how did you react when you hear about Nick Kyrgios' suspension for doping? Did it surprise you?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I don't know what to tell you (smiling). I mean, to be entirely honest with you, I knew about this before the announcement. Myself, I knew about it.

So what can I tell you? I will just tell you the truth. I knew about all of this before any announcement was made, and when I saw it on social media, I was, like, Here we go. I kind of expected it, to be honest.

Q. What was it, like, that you knew from before?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I knew that those were things that were happening away from the tennis courts. I will tell you that.

I'm not going to try and cover up someone that I know the truth for. I'll consider myself a nice person with everyone, but these were behaviors that I personally heard on the tour and heard other people in that same environment saying those sort of things to me.

Again, when I saw it, I was, like, Well, pretty much expected, to be honest. I am surprised it came so late, though.

Q. I was curious, as you've changed your coaching team this summer, how much of that was looking for, you know, changes in your game versus just the changes, fresh mentally approach.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Excuse me, can you please repeat the question?

Q. As you changed your coaching team this summer, how much of that was you looking for a physical change, a technical change, changing your game, versus just a mental break from what you had to deal with?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I personally felt like I needed it. I needed a different voice. I needed someone that provides a little bit more calm into my tennis world.

There was a lot of chaos surrounding me before and a lot of noise. It took, for me, a long time to figure it out and to realize that I just can't cope with it anymore. I also felt like I grew up.

For me, these sort of things didn't serve me as much anymore. They probably served me when I was younger and I wasn't too much bothered by those things, and they didn't come in my way too often and didn't, let's just say, get me out of my track too much. But the more I grew, the more my eyes and my horizons kind of opened up to the world.

I saw more, I experienced more, and I lost myself within that process too a few times, with bad language that me personally, I'm not a person to be talking like that to people that are close to me, so I definitely do have regrets about that.

I also realized that having people that sometimes bring the worst out of you instead of the best version out of you, these are some of the things that need fixing.

As much as I love the person that I work with, my father, and we have an amazing relationship outside of the tennis court, these sort of dynamics don't serve my purpose anymore as much, so I really needed that change.