"I started laughing when he was doing that" - Jordan Thompson explains why he enjoyed Stefanos Tsitsipas pumping up the crowd in Indian Wells clash
Jordan Thompson scored the first massive upset of Indian Wells 2023, beating second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round. The match had a thrilling deciding set tiebreaker during which Tsitsipas tried to pump up the crowd and feed off their energy, but that ended up working in Thompson's favor.
The Aussie claimed later that he likes such high-octane situations and thus gladly welcomed Tsitsipas' crowd-engaging antics in the tiebreaker.
Thompson brought his A-game in both the tiebreakers of the match, eventually prevailing 7-6(0), 4-6, 7-6(5) for only his second career top-10 win. Earlier, the Australian beat Gael Monfils in the opening round.
During the press conference after his win over Tsitsipas, Thompson spoke about why he started laughing after seeing the Greek pump the crowd up.
"I actually started laughing when he was doing that," he said. "Not that it was funny that he was doing it. It's more the fact that, you know, we probably want to be in those situations."
Thompson then recalled a similar incident during Australia's 2022 Davis Cup tie against The Netherlands, when he took on Tallon Griekspoor in one of the matches. Thompson used the example of that match to explain why he thoroughly enjoys battles where the crowd really gets into things.
"The same thing happened last year in the quarterfinals of Davis Cup. I think I was serving for the match 5-3 in the third set against Griekspoor, and the crowd started going nuts. I actually started smiling as well. I want to be in these positions. I'm enjoying the battle. It's probably better to be that way than not," the Australian added.
Meanwhile, Friday's loss meant that Stefanos Tsitsipas has lost his opportunity to become the World No. 1 at the end of the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells and Miami).
"Even playing against a top-10 player I felt comfortable in my own skin" - Jordan Thompson on his win against Stefanos Tsitsipas
Jordan Thompson compared his win against Stefanos Tsitsipas to another massive win in his career, which came against former World No. 1 Andy Murray at the 2017 Queen's Club Championships. While Thompson has very fond memories of beating Murray, he admitted to having more belief in his ability to win the match against Tsitsipas than he did against Murray six years ago.
The Australian stated that he felt very 'comfortable in his own skin' despite going up against a top-ranked player like Tsitsipas.
"That day against Andy Murray was probably a little bit unexpected because I was a Lucky Loser. Yeah, happened just to play an unbelievable match and I wasn't even supposed to be in the draw," Thompson expressed.
"Today was a little bit different. You know, I have been on a bit of run of matches. I felt confident, even playing against a top-10 player I felt comfortable in my own skin and what I was doing, and just snuck out a win," he added.
Stefanos Tsitsipas' Indian Wells opener was only his third match since the Australian Open final. He competed in the ABN Amro Open in Rotterdam last month, where he lost in the Round of 16, before withdrawing from the recently-held Mexican Open due to a shoulder injury.