"Never had any doubt... but Stefanos Tsitsipas is a dreamer, he's still young in his soul" - Father Apostolos on son's 3rd Monte-Carlo Masters triumph
Stefanos Tsitsipas' father Apostolos suggested that he always had faith in his son to perform well in the top tier of men's tennis. Apostolos said it after Tsitsipas bagged the Monte-Carlo Masters men's singles trophy on Sunday, April 14.
Tsitsipas trounced Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-4 in the final on the back of a superior performance on the second serve. He broke Ruud four times during the match and maintained a 70 percent conversion rate on his second serve against the Norwegian's 39 to lay hands on the trophy.
This was notably the Greek's third crowning at Monte-Carlo Country Club after victories in 2021 and 2022. He also regained his place in the top 10 of the ATP singles rankings as he jumped five rungs to claim the seventh spot.
He shared the moment of his glory with his father and coach Apostolos, who constantly backed him from the stands throughout the last seven days. Apostolos also sat down for a conversation with the media after the final and talked about his spirited son.
"I never had a doubt he [Stefanos Tsitsipas] would play this level. For sure never had a doubt. But, he's a dreamer. I could say that also he's still young in his soul, in his mind," Apostolos said.
Apostolos continued:
"As every young person, you know, they need to believe in life, they need to believe in the targets they put. That's why we are there, to remind them that they deserve to be whatever they are."
"There were some moments that Stefanos Tsitsipas was in the zone" - Apostolos Tsitsipas
Further during the press conference, Apostolos rated Stefanos Tsitsipas' performance at the Monte-Carlo Masters 2024 as his best on the clay courts.
"It's one of the best tournaments he did so far from the coaching perspective. I could say that the level was, yes, one of his best on clay courts," he said.
Apostolos claimed that the champion was able to hold his peaks for longer durations.
"There were some moments that he was in the zone, as we say in tennis, and he managed to stay there for sometimes for very long time, which is really very beautiful. Hopefully we gonna see that in the future again," Apostolos added.
Stefanos Tsitsipas faced stern challenges from the likes of Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev en route to his third Monte-Carlo glory but he overcame every hurdle convincingly.
The next stop for Tsitsipas is the Barcelona Open, where he has received entry into the main draw as the fifth seed.