"He's like a Daniil Medvedev almost but hitting the ball a bit harder" - Stefanos Tsitsipas on Borna Coric
Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas went down to Borna Coric in the final of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Sunday. Coric, who played in just his second Masters 1000 final, beat the Greek 7-6(0), 6-2 in a flawless display.
During his post-match press conference, Tsitsipas was full of praise for the Croatian, saying that he hit the ball "a bit harder" than Daniil Medvedev and generated more topspin.
"The less he misses, the more he makes your life difficult," he said. "He's like a Daniil Medvedev almost but hitting the ball a bit harder, adding a bit more topspin to the ball, opening the court. Basically, his ball has a little bit more weight to it when it comes off your strings."
Tsitsipas added that Coric's game hasn't changed much, referring to the former World No. 12 as a "solid baseliner."
"Well, I don't know," Tsitsipas said. "I mean, he plays the same way he always used to play. Hasn't changed much. He has great groundstrokes. Never comes to the net. Just like a very solid baseliner. Returns well. If he's on a good day, he serves really well. Today he served pretty well."
"I have witnessed better serves from him in terms of consistency, but he does these two things well: serve, groundstrokes, baseline game," he added.
25yo Borna Coric, a former prodigy who stopped playing for 13 months due to a bad shoulder injury, beats Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(0), 6-2 to win in Cincinnati the biggest title of his career.
He will be seeded at the #USOpen.
Incredible week. https://t.co/9urqBkT2tY
"I guess I was too relaxed to lose; it cost me" - Stefanos Tsitsipas
During his presser, Tsitsipas admitted to being "too relaxed" while Coric was the opposite.
"I guess I was too relaxed to lose. It cost me," he said. "He was obviously the opposite of what I was, very much involved. Sometimes it makes you not be that much present in the moment when you're too relaxed. It takes away that momentum that you are trying to capture."
While pointing out that Coric served well throughout the match, the Greek rued his missed chances in the first set, where he was leading 4-1.
"I think he was serving well," he said. "He was making me move a lot. But, yeah, I could have used my chances in the first set."
"I don't know why I didn't. I rushed a little bit. He had a few good returns, and it cost me because that first set could have been very life-changing," he added.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Borna Coric will next be seen in action at the US Open, which begins on August 29.