Stefanos Tsitsipas remarks on "worst" shoulder injury following Monte-Carlo QF exit
Greek tennis sensation Stefanos Tsitsipas opened up about his shoulder injury following his exit from the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters on Friday, April 14.
Taylor Fritz defeated defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to reach the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters for the first time in his career. Despite Tsitsipas entering the match with a 12-match winning streak in Monte-Carlo, Fritz defeated the World No. 3 in one hour and 12 minutes, winning 6-2, 6-4.
With Tsitsipas' defeat, the top two seeds have now been eliminated from the claycourt tournament after Novak Djokovic's exit in the third round on Thursday at the hands of Lorenzo Musetti.
In the post-match press conference, Stefanos Tsitsipas shed light on the shoulder injury that he has been struggling with since the final of the 2023 Australian Open, where he was defeated by Novak Djokovic. He said it's probably the worst tennis injury he's ever had and that he never imagined himself dealing with something so serious.
"I would have never pictured myself dealing with such an injury. It would have been perhaps the last thing that I could think of when it comes in terms of injury with tennis. It's probably the worst injury that I had on the tennis court so far," Tsitsipas said.
Tsitsipas also stated that he is doing everything possible to aid his arm's recovery because it is the most important thing for him in the next 15 years.
"Well, yeah, my arm generally, I have tried to change a few things in terms of my, the way I -- you know, all these weights and all these stringing patterns, whatever, to help my arm, because it's the most important thing for me in the next 15 years. I'm trying my best to keep it as healthy as possible," he added.
"I am much better than this, I'm disappointed I was not able to show my game today" - Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas added that he couldn't find his rhythm during his match against Taylor Fritz and that his serve was not working well, which was a big disadvantage against the American.
Tsitsipas made only 56 percent of his first serves and won only 64 percent of the points on his first serve.
"I just seemed off. My serve was not working very well today, and against opponents like Taylor, you have to serve well. I was aware of that during the match. I just couldn't find the rhythm," the 24-year-old said.
The 24-year-old added that he is disappointed that he did not perform to his full potential and that he will use the defeat as a learning experience for the future.
"I am much better than this, and I'm disappointed I was not able to show my game today. I tried to fight on the second set. It's a good lesson. It's not a happy day for me, but it's a good lesson," he said.