Tsitsipas: "Nadal was already predicting Alcaraz's blossoming 5 years ago".

Le 04/06/2024 à 14h13 par Guillaume Nonque

As he takes on Carlos Alcaraz this Tuesday evening in the quarter-finals of the French Open, Stefanos Tsitsipas recalls how long ago he understood that the young Spanish hope would become a great rival for him. As early as the 2019 Laver Cup, when Alcaraz was just 16 years old and had only just broken into the Top 500 of the ATP rankings (492nd in the world), Rafael Nadal was already talking about him in such glowing terms that the Greek had no doubt that the current world No. 3 would become a top player.

What Tsitsipas probably didn't expect, however, was to encounter so many difficulties against the Spaniard. In 5 meetings since September 2021, the Greek has never won against the native of Murcia, managing just 3 sets in all. His last defeat came just over a year ago, in the quarter-finals of the French Open. So he's obviously hoping to do much better on Court Philippe Chatrier this Tuesday evening.

Stefanos Tsitsipas: "Rafa Nadal had already talked about him at the Laver Cup in 2019, when he wasn't even in the world's Top 300. We already knew he'd be good, we could see it. At the time, I could imagine that he could be one of my great rivals in the years to come, and my prediction turned out to be right."

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French Open

Tableau

Stefanos Tsitsipas

34e, 1425 points

Carlos Alcaraz

2e, 11250 points

Rafael Nadal

Non classé

Everyone who knows anything about tennis knows Tsitsipas had a lot of potential early on. However, when one reaches the upper ranks the primary difference is often between the ears. The ability to go out and play at a high level on a consistent basis. And to not digress when the pressure is on. So far Tsitsipas has proven he can't consistently play at a high level. Not from one tournament to the next. One moment he looks like a world beater and the next you're wondering if it's the same guy you watched in the last match. I can remember feeling the same about many up and comings during the reign of the Big 3. For instance Cilic and Thiem. Personally I like to watch Tsitsipas play and hope his game becomes far more consistent.

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That can be said of many of them. It's hard keeping the discipline and focus to remain consistently at the top of your game. They don't make them like they used to.

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