Stefanos Tsitsipas - "The French people have Roland Garros; the Brits have Wimbledon; the Americans have US Open; for me, it's the Australian Open"
Stefanos Tsitsipas has said that he has a special relationship with the Australian Open after beating Jannik Sinner in five sets on Sunday (January 22) to reach the last eight.
The third seed seemed in cruise control, taking a two-set lead and conceding four games in each set. However, with the Greek's level dropping, Sinner eked out 18 break points in the next two sets, converting twice, as a decider ensued on Rod Laver Arena.
Tsitsipas, though, reasserted his ascendancy in the contest. He effected the decisive break in the sixth game to reach his third straight quarterfinal, fourth overall, at Melbourne Park.
The 25-year-old opened up about his relationship with the Australian Open, calling it his 'home Slam' in his post-match press conference:
"It feels very welcoming when you're able to walk around and feel that. It's for sure my home slam, I would consider that, yes, 'cause Melbourne is the second-biggest city after Athens with the biggest Greek population. I would consider it my home slam. The French people have Roland Garros, the Brits have Wimbledon, the Americans have US Open. For me it's the Australian Open."
It's a fourth #AusOpen quarterfinal for @steftsitsipas 🙌
@wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis • #AusOpen • #AO2023 https://t.co/M22xW4H9QD
Tsitsipas also opened up on the Greek support away from home, saying:
"Another plus is wherever I look I see Greek faces, I see Greek people speaking Greek. Of course, it's very important when you're far away from home to have that sort of feeling, to connect even more with the culture that you're at."
Tsitsipas will next take on the unseeded Jiri Lehecka on Tuesday (January 24) for a place in his third straight Australian Open semifinal.
"Titles come if I play good" - Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas was understandably pleased with his level of play at Melbourne Park this week.
Following the ouster of top seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal and second seed Casper Ruud, Tsitsipas is now the top seed alive in the tournament. The 2021 Roland Garros finalist is now three wins away from winning his first Grand Slam title.
Home sweet home away from home.
@steftsitsipas overcame Jannik Sinner on Sunday night, improving his impressive record at Melbourne Park in the process.
#AusOpen • #AO2023
Regarding his title chances, the Greek said:
"I play my game. Titles come if I play good. That takes care of itself, I think. If you're able to play the best you can produce on the court, I feel like the rest just follows naturally. It's a natural flow of things."
Tsitsipas will be the new World No. 1 if he goes all the way this fortnight.