"He played like a world-class player and I played like close to an amateur"- Stefanos Tsitsipas after 1R loss at the US Open 2022
After his unexpected opening round loss at the 2022 US Open, Stefanos Tsitsipas claimed that his opponent played like a "world-class player" and that he himself performed like an "amateur."
The fourth seed was eliminated from the hardcourt Major at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday after an unexpected defeat to Colombian qualifier Daniel Galan. World No. 94 Galan stunned the Greek sensation 6-0, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 to advance to the second round for the first time at the US Open.
Daniel Galan takes out Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 to advance to the next round!
Upset alert 🚨
🇪🇨Daniel Galan takes out Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 to advance to the next round!
@usopen | #USOpen https://t.co/0xBQcCKdP0
In light of this, The Greek acknowledged his poor performance in a conversation with the ATP Tour following his defeat.
"He played like a world-class player and I played like close to an amateur, not very nice to say that, but that’s what happened," Tsitsipas said.
Although he claimed to be well-prepared and to have the momentum on his side, he did confess that he was a "little tense" before the match.
"I was very well prepared, I was playing very well in practice, had some really good matches against different kinds of players. I felt like the momentum was in my favor, I just might’ve felt a little tense going into the match," Stefanos Tsitsipas said.
Stefanos Tsitsipas:
🗯️“He played like a world-class player and I played like close to an amateur, not very nice to say that, but that’s what happened”
🗯️"Just need to work on the negative thoughts a bit more and not let them affect me and not get in my head" #USOpen https://t.co/S0j01DxeA8
Tsitsipas, who has never advanced to the second week of the US Open, added that he believes he needs to "work on his negative thoughts" in order to prevent them from taking over his mind
"US Open, I never really had a good history here but I do like the tournament a lot. Just need to work on the negative thoughts a bit more and not let them affect me and not get in my head, because I’m better than that, I’m a much better player and athlete, but definitely not today," the Greek remarked.
"It just didn’t go as planned, sometimes you just need to let it go, you don’t need to overthink it"- Stefanos Tsitsipas
In the same interview, Stefanos Tsitsipas stated that his performance at the US Open "didn't go as planned" and that it is sometimes preferable to let go of things. He added that it was "difficult" to do so because it's hard to miss a good opportunity, referring to his chances of becoming World No. 1.
"It just didn’t go as planned," Stefanos Tsitsipas said, adding, "Sometimes you just need to let it go, you don’t need to overthink it, you don’t need to push yourself too hard but at the same time it’s difficult because there’s this open opportunity right in front of you, you don’t want to mess it up, you don’t want to waste it."
However, the Greek said that he will continue to make an effort to increase his ranking with the aim of ending the year among the top-3.
"I’m still going to try and add points to my ranking, as much as I can until the end of the year, I really want to perhaps finish in the Top 3… more opportunities ahead," Tsitsipas added.