“It’s like playing in the Coliseum” Stefanos Tsitsipas outlasts a spirited Grigor Dimitrov in Rome » FirstSportz
Stefanos Tsitsipas met the former world No. 3, Grigor Dimitrovin the ‘Round of 32’ in the Italian Open 2022. Tsitsipas exited a lackluster hard-court season to defend his title at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters. He also made a visit to the semifinals in both Barcelona open and the Mutua Madrid Openwhere he lost Carlo Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev respectively.
Tsitsipas is a clay court specialist and will try to bid again for the Roland-Garros final. Unfortunately he was runner-up French Open 2021 and was on the losing side in a five-set marathon Novak Djokovic. Tsitsipas came to Rome to gain some confidence ahead of the final battle in France. He faced a very tough test from the Bulgarian.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas sniffs the hustle and bustle.
Tsitsipas saved two match points in his encounter with Dimitrov and finally emerged as the winner 6: 3, 5: 7, 7: 6 (4). Stefanos Tsitsipas meets Karen Khachanov in the next round as the Greek bids for another final in Italy.
Tsitsipas was present on the pitch for an interview after the fight. He said:
“Incredible fight (phew!), I’m very happy I was able to overcome this obstacle. Grigor played really well and made life difficult for me on the pitch. So much emotion and being able to process it all and come back stronger in the third set was a great way to redeem myself after not being able to hold the last game in the second set.”
Due to 6-3 and 5-3 until the third set tie-break, Tsitsipas said:
“I really do not know it. I’m trying to process the whole fight, the whole match. You definitely don’t wish it on anyone when you play that well. I started with those points in the rearfoot, so I’m going to go back on court and work on that.
Tsitsipas was also very happy about the atmosphere of the game. He said:
“It’s like playing in the Coliseum. There is so much energy emanating from the crowd. The people who came to see the game loved it so much, more than we did. It made for a great atmosphere and a great gladiator environment on the pitch.”
Tsitsipas would like to avoid getting into such a mess but this match would also give him confidence that he can handle the pressure.
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https://firstsportz.com/its-like-playing-in-the-colosseum-stefanos-tsitsipas-outlasts-a-spirited-grigor-dimitrov-in-rome/ “It’s like playing in the Coliseum” Stefanos Tsitsipas outlasts a spirited Grigor Dimitrov in Rome » FirstSportz