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Stefanos Tsitsipas lately opened up about why he determined to stay with the one-handed backhand regardless that it isn’t as pragmatic because the double-hander, revealing that he had been impressed by watching Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.
On Friday, the Greek booked his spot within the semifinals of the 2023 Paris Masters, defeating Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4 in straight units. Talking at his press convention afterwards, Tsitsipas was requested about his one-handed backhand fashion and the explanations he selected it initially.
The World No. 6 responded that he had at all times thought that it was a “basic shot,” particularly having grown up watching Sampras and Federer reduce by opponents with their trademark single-handed backhands.
“To me, one-handed backhand at all times felt just like the basic shot. I noticed it on TV. I believed, that is the basic shot. That is how tennis was firstly performed, and that is the basic shot that Sampras, one in every of my favourite gamers, performed that shot. Effectively, on the time I used to be fairly younger to observe Roger Federer matches, however I do bear in mind him later once I was about six years previous,” Stefanos Tsitsipas mentioned.
Nonetheless, the 25-year-old admitted that he made the selection when he was eight years previous, because of a childhood coach who demanded that he follow one play fashion as an alternative of switching day-after-day.
“To me, it was a shot choice that I selected at eight years previous. I form of bought caught with it. I labored on it. I attempted double-handed backhand. I bear in mind the day the place I selected to play single-handed backhand,” Tsitsipas recalled.
“Considered one of my coaches got here on court docket — not my predominant coach, one of many coaches of the membership — and advised me, Stef, kinda determine. You are switching day-after-day. On Mondays you play double after which on Tuesdays you turn to single. Come on, determine it. You might be eight years previous already, 9 years previous,” he added.
It was not a alternative that Stefanos Tsitsipas regrets by any measure of the phrase, as he joked that it was laborious to even think about seeing himself with a double-handed backhand as of late.
“I do not know the way previous I used to be. He mentioned, You have to determine and keep on with it. I do not forget that day. I used to be driving again dwelling with my father. He picked me up from apply, and I advised him, what? I will keep on with a double-handed backhand. The following day I switched to a single-handed backhand as soon as and for all,” Stefanos Tsitsipas mentioned.
“I do not forget that day. Yeah. I do not assume a double-handed backhand would look too good on me. Are you able to image me in the present day? (Smiling.) It is powerful to image it, is not it?” he added.
Stefanos Tsitsipas: “I do not know what my best possible degree is”
Up subsequent, Stefanos Tsitsipas will tackle Grigor Dimitrov within the semifinals in Paris-Bercy. But to lose a set on the Masters 1000 occasion, the Greek has defeated high gamers within the type of Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alexander Zverev and Khachanov in his final three matches.
Regardless, Tsitsipas didn’t wish to proclaim that that is the most effective he has performed, stating that he merely does not know what his best possible degree is and that he tries to supply it at each match he steps into.
“Effectively, the factor in all that is, I do not know what my best possible degree is. I had a reasonably good degree on the Australian Open this yr. It was good. It wasn’t my greatest, however it was excellent,” Stefanos Tsitsipas mentioned.
“Then I’ve performed one in every of my greatest tennis in Nitto Finals in London years in the past. And I form of really feel like each single match or each single probability that I get to be on the court docket, it is a new alternative for me to indicate most likely my greatest degree ever,” he added.
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