"I was not good enough; I won't blame it on anything" - Stefanos Tsitsipas refuses to put blame for poor US Open series on team
Stefanos Tsitsipas' horrendous 2023 US Open series culminated with a second-round exit in New York on Wednesday. The Greek crashed out in a thrilling five-setter despite having served for the match in the fourth set.
Tsitsipas fell 5-7, 7-6(2), 7-6(5), 6-7(6), 6-3 to Dominic Stricker in a contest that lasted four hours and five minutes. In the lead-up to the US Open, the 25-year-old had suffered an opening round exit at the Canadian Open, followed by a Round of 16 loss in Cincinnati. The only saving grace for Tsitsipas was the ATP 250 Los Cabos Open, where he won the title - his first of the year.
Speaking to the press after his loss against Stricker, Tsitsipas took full responsibility for his poor summer, admitting that he was "not good enough." He refused to blame the changes he brought to his team during this period or anything else, conceding that he has simply been too "poor" on the court to get any wins.
"By no means I'm supposed to put any blame on any people or any members of my team. Everything on court is under my control and under my talents, and the way I can play this sport are shown out on the court. If I'm not able to deliver, then I'm not supposed to be doing well," Stefanos Tsitsipas said.
"That's what happened this summer. 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. Had a tough transition to Toronto, where I dealt with really bad jet lag that I never had such kind of experience on tour," he added.
"I move on with my life; hopefully, I can get better in the future" - Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas also gave Dominic Stricker due credit, admitting that he was better on the night and that he deserved the win for outplaying him over five sets.
The 25-year-old was not too hard on himself either, saying that he would move on from the defeat and look to get better in the future instead of dwelling on it.
"My opponent showed better tennis than I did," Stefanos Tsitsipas said. "I want to congratulate him, because, you know, I consider myself a good player, and I don't want to be a person that can be beaten easily or I'm giving my opponents easy time on the court against me. I try to make it as hard as I can, and if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I move on with my life. Hopefully I can get better in the future."