Serena Williams applauds Stefanos Tsitsipas for reaching maiden Australian Open final
Tennis legend Serena Williams recently reacted to Stefanos Tsitsipas' semifinal win over Karen Khachanov, as she applauded the Greek No. 1 for his sublime performance.
Tsitsipas held on to his nerve against the 2022 US Open semifinalist and survived a mid-match scare to register a 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3, win over the Russian. The former World No. 3 will lock horns with 21-time Grand Slam singles winner Novak Djokovic on Sunday at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.
Following his win in the penultimate match of the 2023 Australian Open, Tsitsipas turned to social media to reflect on his win and post glimpses of his match against Khachanov.
"I am because we are," Tsitsipas captioned his Instagram post.
The winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, Serena Williams, commented on Tsitsipas' post and congratulated him on his win.
"I think it starts with confidence, your capabilities, what you can do out there" - Stefanos Tsitsipas on dealing with pressure moments
At the post-match press conference, Stefanos Tsitsipas reflected on how he has been dealing with high-pressure situations. Speaking about his coping abilities, the Greek shed some light on what makes dealing with intense situations difficult.
"I think it starts with confidence, your capabilities, what you can do out there. I think frustration also builds when you start sort of panicking or you feel completely off and completely not okay with your game. It has this tendency to build up over time, especially when you're unable to find some sort of solutions within yourself."
Tsitsipas added that he has a "good relationship" with himself on the court. He claimed that the change in attitude has helped him perform better under pressure.
"I definitely believe this is something that hasn't been reoccurring. I have a good relationship with myself on the court. I think this is something that has given me that sort of attitude. Of course, less frustration than before."
The 2021 French Open finalist could reach the top of the ATP singles rankings if he wins the Australian Open singles title. When asked whether he ever dreamt about the same thing as a kid, Stefanos Tsitsipas said:
"I remember watching on TV saying to myself, I want to be there one day myself. I want to recreate that feeling for me. I knew that's a very long journey to get there. There are certain steps you have to take to give yourself the chance to be competing for something like this."