Watch: Frustrated Stefanos Tsitsipas hits ball towards his parents during 2022 ATP Finals clash against Andrey Rublev
Second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas had a disappointing end to his ATP Finals campaign on Friday as he suffered a defeat to Andrey Rublev. With the loss in what was a virtual quarterfinal match, the 2022 season has officially come to an end for the 24-year-old.
The Greek player had a frustrating time in the match. Throughout the match, the World No. 3 was irritated by the consistent comments passed by his parents. At one point, he even hit a tennis ball towards his player's box.
When there's too much chat 😬
#NittoATPFinals https://t.co/MW6e4MFGNB
His father and coach Apostolos Tsistipas was spotted exchanging comments with his mother, possibly about the errors that the Greek player was making throughout the match.
Stefanos Tsitsipas started the match on a good note as he thoroughly dominated the first set. He was brilliant with his serve and secured points from rallies with his strong forehand shots.
Things started to slowly drift away from the Greek player when Rublev started to surprise him with crisp down-the-line forehand shots. The Russian positioned himself close to the baseline, which restricted Tsitsipas from attacking the net. The Russian fought hard to register a comeback victory and took the final two sets to come out on top.
"I feel like the better player" - Stefanos Tsitsipas reflects on his defeat to Andrey Rublev at 2022 ATP Finals
Stefanos Tsitsipas felt hard done by his loss to Andrey Rublev in his final group stage match at the ATP Finals on Friday. With the defeat, the 24-year-old failed to qualify for the semifinals of the year-ending championship.
The World No. 3 sounded extremely disappointed post-match as he lamented over the missed opportunities throughout the match. The Monte Carlo Masters champion felt that he was better than his opponent and deserved something much better from the match.
"It's a shame, I feel like the better player. I felt like I could do more with the ball today. I felt like I could just be much more creative. I don't even have to say that. I think it's quite obvious," Tsitsipas expressed.
However, the Greek player did credit Rublev for his performance, saying:
"Things were coming off the racquet pretty good from his side. He prevailed with the few tools that he has. He was able to really take advantage of them and win today"