"Do you have a Best Question of the Year Award from ATP?" - Stefanos Tsitsipas to a reporter after French Open 3R win
Following his third-round win at the French Open on Saturday, Stefanos Tsitsipas asked a reporter at his press conference if he had the 'Best Question of the Year Award' from the ATP.
The fourth seed produced his most clinical outing of the week, dispatching Sweden's Mikael Ymer for the loss of just five games to reach the fourth round in Paris for the fourth straight year. He'll play young Dane Holger Rune for a place in the quarterfinals.
🎙️ "I was able to get a good result today"
Stefanos Tsitsipas reflects on his three-set win today:
#RolandGarros https://t.co/JwpkYPvzfr
After his win over Ymer, Tsitsipas was asked by a reporter about the biggest question he has been searching for an answer to.
"You have lots of interesting thoughts, and you always ask some interesting questions on social media. What is the biggest question in your life right now that you are searching the answer for?" the reporter asked.
Tsitsipas responded by saying the question was so good he couldn't answer it.
"Do you have a "Best Question of the Year Award" from ATP? I can give it to you straightaway. Oh, my God. Ooh-la-la. It happens to you that the question is so good that you can't answer it? Good question," he said.
Upon being pressed, Tsitsipas said that he has asked himself how he can become a better athlete. He credited the Big 3 of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic for pushing him.
"I have questioned myself, how do I become a better athlete? These guys have pushed me to become a better athlete. I question myself, really, what can I add to my life that can eventually help me achieve more and do more and do better in terms of my career," he said.
"It's a good thing to have a match like this every now and then" - Stefanos Tsitsipas after beating Mikael Ymer
Stefanos Tsitsipas dropped a set in both of his first two rounds at the French Open. He was taken the distance in his tournament opener by Lorenzo Musetti, who took a two-set lead before Tsitsipas fought back to win in five.
In the next round, the Greek withstood a tough challenge from Zdenek Kolar before winning in a fourth-set tie-break. Two days later, Tsitsipas wasted little time on the court, taking only 92 minutes to see off Ymer 6-2, 6-2, 6-1.
Making a statement 💯
@steftsitsipas Masterclass: Now showing 🎬
@emirates | #EmiratesFlyBetterMoments | #RolandGarros https://t.co/2WuyRaSlAm
The 23-year-old sounded pleased with the manner of his win and the efficacy of his tactics.
"It's a good thing to have a match like this every now and then, I think. Especially when you come in, when you walk into a match with so much confidence and believe that you can really structure your tactics and you feel the confidence of your game itself, having built up through the matches before," he said.
"So for sure it was a good performance in ways. I know it wasn't as long as my previous matches, but that's why we have practice, so we can go back and practice either today or the next day or whenever it comes," he added.