Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas had a sad outing at the US Open. Tsitsipas was shown the door only in the second round of the tournament by Dominic Stricker. This is the latest disaster in a string of failures for World Number 7.
It was a closely fought contest between the players, that went on for five sets. Unfortunately for Tsitsipas, he was unable to get over the finish line at the Flushing Meadows.
Despite losing the match, Tsitsipas stayed behind to sign autographs for young fans. The Greek player stated that he was once in their shoes, which is why he could not disappoint them. Furthermore, he added that he hopes some of those kids look up to him as an inspiration.
Stefanos Tsitsipas on why he stayed to sign autographs after losing to Stricker at US Open:
“It’s not an easy thing to stay there. I saw the little kids faces. It touched my heart bc I was in their position once upon a time. I really looked up to players like me in this… pic.twitter.com/63tJiU3C3d
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 30, 2023
Upon reading Tsitsipas’ comments about staying back to sign autographs, fans brutally trolled him for his past actions. They took this opportunity to remind him of a controversy from the Australian Open earlier this year.
At the event, Tsitsipas handed out pre-signed autographs to his fans in the bleachers. Usually, players stay back after a match to sign autographs and take pictures, but Stefanos found a way around it.
A fan took a dig at Stefanos Tsitsipas, stating, “Tsitsipas is working to improve his sportsmanship this year.” Here are a few reactions to Tsitsipas’ comments.
Tsitsipas is working to improve his sportsmanship this year.
— YonaMx (@MxYona) August 30, 2023
The best thing about Tsitsipas, but he didn’t bring the already signed ones like in Australian open this year
— Mayank Kansal (@MKansal88) August 30, 2023
Stefanos Tsitsipas has not performed well at the US Open in his career. This second-round elimination will hurt him and should be an opportunity for him to work out his troubles. And it is very apparent that there are problems that Stefanos is taking the blame for instead of his team.
Stefanos Tsitsipas took the blame for his disappointing performance at the US Open
In six appearances at the US Open, Stefanos has never gone beyond the third round. His latest outing has been another disappointment for the Greek star. Tsitsipas, however, is not about to start blaming his team for his performance.
Stefanos took ownership of his loss against Stricker in the second round. He stated that the recent management overhaul should not be blamed for his sluggish form. Mark Philipoussis replaced his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, as his head coach this year.
“I was not good enough to deliver and score good results. I won’t blame it on anything. It’s just poor performance after Los Cabos,” he said (Via ATP Tour).
Stefanos Tsitsipas has performed disastrously in the North American hardcourt swing this year. He has won only 2 matches, including the Toronto and Cincinnati Open last month. The World No. 7 will hope to turn the tide soon.