"That is very weird and unnecessary" – Stefanos Tsitsipas blasts Rotterdam match schedule after shocking exit
Stefanos Tsitsipas has expressed unhappiness about his match schedule at the 2025 ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam after his shocking exit. The Greek crashed out of the tournament with a straight-sets loss to Mattia Bellucci on Friday, February 7.
Tsitsipas, who received a wildcard to compete at the ATP 500 event, was seeded sixth. He began his campaign on Monday, February 3, against qualifier Harold Mayot. Following a 6-1, 7-5 victory that required one hour and 21 minutes, the player was made to wait for a couple of days, as the match between his second-round opponent Tallon Griekspoor and Matteo Berrettini was scheduled on Wednesday.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Griekspoor thus locked horns on Thursday, February 6 for a place in the quarterfinals. The high-octane clash lasted a staggering three hours, with the former edging out the home hope with a 6-7(5), 7-6(6), 7-5 comeback.
Following his 6-4, 6-2 defeat to Mattia Bellucci on Friday, he revealed that he felt the recovery time was “short.”
"It was a bit short, I have to admit. Having played so long the day before," Stefanos Tsitsipas told the media.
The 26-year-old, who played the final match of the day session on February 7, said he was hoping for an early evening session match at the least.
"And getting to play at this time felt a little bit surprising. I’d imagine I’d go on after 6-7 PM, those few hours would have helped, for sure," he said.
Expressing his frustrations about the prolonged break in the early stages, Stefanos Tsitsipas said:
"There were a lot of weird things with the schedule this tournament, such as, having to deal with two days off after playing my first-round match which barely lasted one hour and 15 minutes, I’d say."
"It was quite quick and I felt fresh after the match and then I got two days off, waiting for my next opponent. That is weird. That is very weird and unnecessary," he continued. "I don’t need two days off. Even a day is really a lot, so I don’t know. I would have probably picked up those two days better yesterday than today."
Stefanos Tsitsipas to shift focus to Doha after Rotterdam exit
Stefanos Tsitsipas is in the hunt for a 12th career title and first since his hat trick at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters. So far in 2025, he has scripted three victories against as many losses.
Interestingly, the Greek has yet to win a title in the ATP 500 category, having come up short in a staggering 11 finals. In pursuit of his maiden ATP 500 title, he is expected to compete at the upcoming tournament in Doha (February 17-22) after his Rotterdam exit.
Among the top players scheduled to compete at the event are Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Daniil Medvedev.