“I feel like the better player, I think it’s quite obvious” - Tsitsipas after loss to Rublev
ATP
Stefanos Tsitsipas was clearly frustrated after his last round-robin match loss at the 2022 ATP Finals to Andrey Rublev.
Although the format at the ATP Finals is unique and allows the players to advance even when they lose, it was back to basics for both of these players in their last round-robin meeting.
They both won and lost one match before, which meant that the winner of this meeting would make it to the semi-finals. Tsitsipas won the first set of the match 6-3, but ultimately, Rublev won in three sets with a comeback, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Because of the loss, Tsitsipas missed out on a spot in the semi-finals of the tournament, and he was clearly frustrated after the loss. He admitted immediately after that he tried to throw his opponent off by trying various tactics.
"I just wanted to try something new, to see if it might work, throw him off a little bit."
Despite losing the match, Tsitsipas felt like the better player. The Greek player said that it was "quite obvious" that he could play better.
"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."
When trying to praise his opponent, Tsitsipas didn't improve the situation even a bit. He said that Rublev had only "a few tools" and that he was able to win the match because he took advantage of them.
"But, yeah, he prevailed with the few tools that he has. He was able to really take advantage of them and win today."
At the end of the day, Tsitsipas will get a chance to reflect on his loss and comments after the match in the coming days, while Rublev will have to prepare for his semi-final in Turin.
