Greek international, and fourth seed at the prestigious Wimbledon tournament, Stefanos Tsitsipas, entered the second round of the competition, defeating 188th-ranked Alexander Ritschard on the evening of Tuesday, 28 June.
Tsitsipas, who was fresh from his victory in Mallorca against Roberto Bautista Agut, was intimidated in the first round of the grass court competition when Ritschard had a big lead in the first set. As the memories of the first round exit flashed in the minds of tennis fans, Tsitsipas tried hard enough to draw the result, winning the match 7-6 (1) 6-3 5-7 6-4.
Tsitsipas pointed wildly at himself in the first few minutes of the match, unable to locate his opponent, who took a 4–1 lead.
However, passion did the trick and the Greek international broke through his Swiss challenge to take the first set 7-6.
As the game progressed, it looked like the fourth seed was going to do it smoothly, however, he lost the third set of the game 5-7. However, the crucial break did nothing good for the 28-year-old, as Tsitsipas entered the second set comfortably, winning the fourth set 6-4.
Speaking after the game, the Greek said he came into the competition with a lot of confidence and was loving the surface.
“Well, it definitely helps to have a win before a big event like this. The grass court here is totally different. It’s perfect. You never get a missbounce, which can help sometimes.” can and sometimes doesn’t really help that much. It’s pure, clean tennis. I haven’t had the privilege of starting Wimbledon with a title a week ago. That gives me enough confidence to start this year strong Points or no points, I go to it, I try and approach that way. I am just playing for the idea that Wimbledon has to offer,” said the 23-year-old.
“Yeah, it made me fall more in love with surfaces. I love playing on grass. Winning tournaments on surfaces elevates you, also puts you in a better mood. It is great for your self-esteem, And I feel the same way. It’s important to feel that way, especially when you’re competing at the highest level of tennis. You know, winning titles can really boost your confidence and big titles later in your career. can help you achieve. On the men’s side, it’s something different,” he added.
“I have to congratulate Alexander on an incredible performance and we will see more of him,” Tsitsipas said in a courtside interview after the start of the game.
He will now face Australia’s Jordan Thompson in the second match of the tournament.