Stefanos Tsitsipas laments ‘huge mistake’ during French Open semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic

French Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas wipes his face

Stefanos Tsitsipas believes he should not have tried “something new” during his semi-final defeat against Novak Djokovic, saying he should have stuck to his “ordinary and basic” game.

The Greek looked set for a three-set defeat at hands of Djokovic as he lost the two opening sets, but managed to turn things around and won the next two sets to force a decider. However, he eventually went down 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1.

Novak Djokovic holds off Stefanos Tsitsipas to set up French Open final against Rafael Nadal

Tsitsipas, though, feels his decision not to play his natural game cost him dearly in the opening two sets.

“I wish I could have figured [out] certain things earlier which, I don’t know, I felt like it was a total demolition, the fact that I tried those things in practice and tried to implement them in the match,” he said.

“It was something new. I wish I wouldn’t have tried these things and tried to stay to my ordinary and basic way of feeling the ball and also trying to dictate the game.

“I think that was a huge mistake today, that I tried this for two sets in a row, then came back to my old way of doing things.”

Tsitsipas has now lost his two Grand Slam semi-finals as he lost in three sets against Rafael Nadal in last year’s Australian Open.

The 22-year-old believes he has “matured” and should know when to change his tactics midway through matches.

“Well, if I think back at the Australian Open I was still a kid, and now I’m turning more into an adult,” he said.

“My thinking has changed. I’ve matured. I’ve been through a lot of things. I have grown from the people around me, my relationships, people in general…

“I have, of course, more experience in my pocket than before. I’ve played matches. I’ve experienced different things. I know when something is good or not, and I can, I think, dictate that earlier.”

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Novak Djokovic Stefanos Tsitsipas

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