"Roger Federer is someone that is difficult to believe he's real" - Stefanos Tsitsipas
A day after arriving in Halle for the 29th edition of The Terra Wortmann Open, World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas sat down for a chit-chat. Although the Greek is yet to win his first title on grass, he acknowledged the importance of the surface.
"Lawn tennis is living history. If we think back, the beginnings of great tennis history date back to the lawn tournaments in Europe," Tsitsipas said.
The 23-year-old was then asked about his idol Roger Federer and whether he thought he would ever get to compete with the Swiss maestro. Tsitsipas expressed his immense admiration for the 20-time Grand Slam champion and described playing with Federer as a "never in a lifetime scenario."
"I have a lot of respect for him. I enjoyed just watching him on TV. Probably hitting with him on a tennis court would have been a never-in-a-lifetime scenario. When I first faced him, I was about to serve and I was thinking, 'Roger is on the other side of the net'. He is my childhood hero. This is beyond unimaginable. He is someone that is difficult to believe he's real. It's incredible what he has done with all his records and the game-style," Tsitsipas said.
Roger Federer? Did someone say Roger Federer?
"He is someone that is difficult to believe he is real"! https://t.co/3tN7B3wlL0
Tsitsipas continued to praise Federer enthusiastically and stated that he missed the Swiss on the tour.
"Yeah, I quite miss him. He's a very charming person. You know, everyone loves him," said Tsitsipas.
Stefanos Tsitsipas starts his campaign at Halle Open on Tuesday
Danish player Holger Rune shocked the tennis world last month by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round of the French Open. The Greek, who reached the tournament's final last season, was the favorite to do so again this year. He then participated in the Stuttgart Open as the top seed. Britain's Andy Murray beat him in the quarterfinals in straight sets.
Andy Murray gets his biggest win in almost six years, beating #5 Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(5) 6-3 to reach the semis in Stuttgart.
Murray's last top 5 win? The final of the 2016 ATP Finals vs Novak Djokovic. He will rise to around #53~ and plays Kyrgios/Fucsovics next.
At the 29th edition of The Terra Wortmann Open, an ATP 500 event, second seed Tsitsipas will play his first match against Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi on Tuesday. He could face Australia's Nick Kyrgios in the second round, which would be a treat for the fans. For that to happen, Kyrgios will also need to win his first-round match against Germany's Daniel Altmaier.
Former Australian player Todd Woodbridge has picked Kyrgios to do well at Wimbledon this year.
"Nick is actually trained and focused on this season, so this is a good start to the grass-court season. If there is any player in the field outside of Novak that can play well enough and beat everyone on grass, it's Nick," Woodbridge said in a recent interview.