"He was very nervous" - Ivanisevic on early Tstisipas Roland Garros exit
ATP
Goran Ivanisevic has come out with his explanation as to why Stefanos Tstistipas exited Roland Garros earlier than hoped for this year.
The Croatian ex-pro believes it all boils down to last year's tournament when the Greek player came up against Novak Djokovic in the final of the clay-court Slam.
As we all know, 'Nole' did not have it easy in that match, with the Greek quickly gaining a 2-0 lead in sets. Despite having the uphill battle in front of him, this did not derail the Serb's ambitions to claim the trophy, with him soon obliging and taking home the trophy after a five-set thriller.
We will never know the long-term emotional effect that losing such an enthralling five-setter would have had on Tstisipas, but Goran Ivanisevic has certainly had his say.
The Croat believes that it was, in fact, that very match that caused the Greek to come crashing out earlier than expected this year.
“I have seen him very nervous since the beginning of this tournament. It may be strange, but that match last year against Nole set him back. I watched him, he’s very nervous, he argues a lot with his mom and dad. It’s not the same Tsitsipas from last year who was more focused, he knew what he was doing and he knew how to play.”
Adding further to his previous comments, he made it clear how much he hopes he ends up having a great career.
“I love him very much as a tennis player and I want him to make a comeback as soon as possible. I think he can do it."
Last year's final was certainly Tsitsipas' best chance of claiming a Grand Slam to date, with that appearance in Paris being his only final at Grand Slam level so far.
We must not write off the Greek however, with him always posing a threat at the big tournaments, giving the sense that his time is coming.
