"He made me work for every single point. I'm extremely proud" - Tsitsipas on reaching Rome final

Sunday, 15 May 2022 at 08:30

Updated at Monday, 14 October 2024 at 13:20

Tsitsipas Stefanos MadridOpen2022 FlorinBaltatoiu16

byAlex Waite

Stefanos Tsitsipas shared his delight at eventually coming out on top in a tough contest against Alexander Zverev in order to reach the 2022 Italian Open final.

Tsitsipas and Zverev have become regular foes during the 2022 clay court season, particularly in the semi-final stages. Before their most recent clash in Rome, the Greek and German competitors faced each other twice at clay events, with Tsitsipas winning in Monte-Carlo and Zverev triumphant in Madrid.

The third clash came at the Italian Open for a place in the final, and Tsitsipas eventually defeated his German opponent in a hard-fought encounter. Despite losing the first set 6-4, the Greek player raced back to take the next two sets 6-3, 6-3.

In addition, it was Tsitsipas’ 31st victory of the 2022 season. The Greek player also extended his lead over second-placed Carlos Alcaraz on the leaderboard for most match wins for the season as the Spanish player trails with 28 victories during the campaign.

However, Tsitsipas revealed post-match that the victory over Zverev was not a straightforward affair. After edging to the final, the former world number three shared his joy in emerging as the victor in such a grueling match against a tough opponent.

"He wasn’t giving me much, he made me work hard for every single point. I’m extremely proud of the way things turned around, and I was able to read the gameplay a little bit better and understand what was working at that time."

After winning the Monte-Carlo Masters earlier in 2022, also following a semi-final win over Zverev, Tsitsipas will be hopeful of claiming the third ATP Masters 1000 title of his career in Rome.

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The Greek player's best previous performance at this competition came in 2019 when he reached the semi-final but lost to eventual champion Rafael Nadal.

While Tsitsipas would relish another Masters victory to add to his list of career achievements, he also stated that he was happy to enjoy the moment. Following his triumph against Zverev, the current world number-five outlined his pride to have made another final at such a prestigious event as the Italian Open.

"It’s one of those tournaments that I think has the most history in sport. As you can see looking around the sides, one of the most beautiful stadiums. There’s a lot of history playing on these courts and you feel very proud that you made your way here and are able to participate in such a historically rich event."