Tsitsipas Walks Over in Miami As Gasquet Withdraws Last-Minute

Stefanos Tsitsipas caught a lucky break at the Miami Open when veteran player Richard Gasquet withdrew from their match at the last minute.

Tsitsipas has had a very interesting season so far, playing brilliantly in Australia and making it to the Australian Open final, in which Novak Djokovic defeated him.

However, he struggled quite a bit afterward, failing to perform at the same level in several events. For Tsitsipas, the Miami Open was supposed to begin with a second-round clash against Richard Gasquet, but the match won’t happen because the French player withdrew at the last minute.

This means Tsitsipas now advances to the third round via a walkover, which isn’t the ideal way a player would want to progress. Still, given his recent struggles, the Greek player will likely take any win he can get, even the unconventional ones.

Another benefit of this unexpected turn of events is the extra time to recover. Tsitsipas has been dealing with physical issues lately that have kept him from playing at his best. He hasn’t missed any tournaments, per se, but he has expressed concerns about his body, admitting that he sometimes competes while in pain.

Ahead of this event, Tsitsipas reassured tennis fans that he is heading in the right direction, hoping to be pain-free sooner rather than later. Extra recovery time in Miami will be beneficial, but he also needs to get back on the court and play matches. He won’t regain the confidence he showed in Australia by winning through walkovers; he needs to do the hard work and win matches properly.

This is especially important with the clay court season just around the corner. Clay is a surface on which he traditionally excels and causes significant damage. Entering that part of the season with full confidence in his tennis would be a great outcome for Tsitsipas. His next opponent is Cristian Garin.