Not only is he one of the best tennis players in the world, he’s also the most controversial right now. The reason is the long toilet breaks that Stefanos Tsitsipas (23) makes during matches. “That pisses me off,” cursed Alexander Zverev at the tournament in Cincinnati. And Andy Murray grumbled at the US Open: “I’ve never taken so long to go to the toilet. It’s a bloody joke! “
SPORT BILD: Mr. Tsitsipas, why do you go to the toilet so often – is that a tactical means of upsetting your opponents?
Stefanos Tsitsipas: No! My intention is not to disturb anyone’s rhythm, it is not a tactical tool. Anyway, I only look at myself and not at the opponent. Even after winning a 6-0 set, I went to the bathroom and changed my things.
Do you change things to the toilet?
It always has to do with the external conditions. I never did it at the Indian Wells tournament because the conditions were very dry. I didn’t sweat as much as I did in Cincinnati and at the US Open before. Circumstances were different and I responded accordingly.
NFL fans are amazed
Broken knee! How can he celebrate here like that?
Source: BILD
At the US Open you were whistled by the audience in the match against Carlos Alcaraz. Did you find that unfair?
It’s OK. People don’t really know what’s behind this. It didn’t affect me, didn’t affect my game, and I didn’t break any rules.
In “best of five” matches, each player can take two toilet breaks. At “Best of three” a …
One shouldn’t dictate how much time to spend in the bathroom. With dry clothes I just feel more comfortable and fresher. All that sweat bothers me. Each player can decide for himself. I am there to do my job. I don’t care about anything else. People also give me different nicknames (“Jesus Christ of tennis”, “Tsitsifast”, “Greek God”; d. Red.). I think that’s funny, but don’t bother with it.
The era of the big three, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, is drawing to a close. Who will the next big three be?
There is currently only one big player: Novak Djokovic. He’s still the best in the world. But Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and I get right behind it. We can become the next big three. I firmly believe in it.
Djokovic is 34 years old. How long can he stay up there?
Nobody knows. I still have a lot of confidence in him. Who would have thought that Roger Federer would still play at 40? Not me. But I am sure that he will make another comeback.
This year you were very close to your first Grand Slam triumph, leading 2-0 sets in the French Open final against Djokovic. Still you lost. What is so difficult about winning a Grand Slam tournament?
The level is incredibly high. Any player from the top 10 can win a Grand Slam tournament. Tennis has evolved, it has become very physical. It’s extreme in many ways. You have to pay attention to every detail. Dominic Thiem is a good example. He put so much physical and mental energy into winning the US Open. I watched every game he played there. It is very exhausting to beat the other good players. It sucks the energy out of your body. The key is: You have to win the games with less effort and save energy for the next match. Novak Djokovic has shown this perfectly in recent years. And Daniil Medvedev showed it at the US Open.
You are one of the last volleyball players on the tour. Isn’t that a shame?
I think that’s a shame. It is much more exciting when players advance to the net and finish points with a volley. My game was always offensive. But because of the courts and balls, the game has become faster and faster, so the players prefer to stay behind and train their baseline game for countless hours. You used to move back and forth, now to the left and right. There was a real revolution.
Who was your role model earlier?
Pete Sampras. I admired his serve and volley game. And I was very impressed by how calm and confident he was on the pitch.
You used to play soccer too. Why did you choose tennis?
I like to be alone on the pitch with my problems. It all depends on me. And through my play I can develop my personality. There is an opponent on the other side of the net, but the biggest task is to challenge myself and test my limits.
What is your motto in life?
Don’t wait for an opportunity, create it! The best things in life happen when you are awake. That’s what I focus on. I want to make the best of my life and give it my all. At the end of the day, I don’t want to have excuses or blame myself.
You helped develop a new format that premiered at the tournament in Vienna: a short match over three tie-breaks, with music during the rallies. Is this the future of tennis?
We wanted to try something new to get young children excited about our sport. And it was a complete success. The music was fun, the audience could walk around, even during the rallies. They liked that. The atmosphere was great. But this format is an addition. The tradition at the big tournaments should be kept.
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