Stefanos Tsitsipas was full of praise for Rafael Nadal after his defeat in the Rogers Cup final.
Stefanos on playing Rafa:
The patience that Rafa has is amazing. He never cracks. He will always grab you like a bulldog and always will have you – he will always make you suffer on the court.
And it is amazing what he has built as a player. I mean, he was, like, you know, normal like all of us, and he managed to become this beast, this monster that he is today.
It is true. It is true. It’s not that I’m saying something that — that’s how you feel when you play against him. So I need to work much more, as I said, and hopefully I can reach his level one day.
“So I need to work much more.”
I hope this loss to Rafa has humbled Stefanos somewhat. He was unable to beat Rafa despite his boast about beating any player.
Cheers to Stefanos for his words in a great display of losing graciously.
RAFA ROCKS
I thought he was going to be more of a compation to Rafa from what people were saying really hyping this guy up , but Rafa put him down . for me it wasnt exciting . not like playing joker or one of those guys . i guess in time he will get better . RAFA is just to good .. congrats RAFA..
Michele, I thought that it would not be as much of a contest for several reasons. Stefanos won four difficult matches in a row including over Djokovic. While he is very talented in my opinion, he does not yet have the fitness level he needs to play Rafa. Rafa was also tired himself, so he let Stefanos back into the match at the end. I thought Rafa would win the TB, but I did not need the extra stress. Stefanos was very generous in his praise of Rafa.
Shows he is a big kid… He is great too, but he just played the GOAT… Stefanos is a respectful, great player to say those wonderful things about Nadal… Good luck to him in future.
I like this boy his attitude & maturity well polite !
Stunning contrast between Kyrgios and Tsitsipas😱in attitude-just saying.
…..long may it last.
Good, respectful words from Stefanos. He’ll have learned valuable lessons from playing Rafa and he has a bright future, but yes, Rafa is no.1 for a reason. Rafa The Master rules and ong may it last!
Yes Lorna, Stefanos did well to sail past 4 top 10 players, even Rafa must have seen that and it could be a threat. Yet we had his Barcelona victory 😃👑 still in mind, over him, all these NextGen players can be a threat. May he stay no. 1 for good. Of course Wimbledon was a shame 😕 it would have been a double. I saw him in R Garros this year and he was so determined to please himself and us. 😃👑😆 So good to his fans, he wrote me an autograph and gave others photos. Fiona in Paris
You’re so lucky Fiona. I saw Rafa at RG too, but didn’t have the pleasure of an autograph. Nevertheless, watching him play was a treat in itself!
Sabias palabras d Stephanos…ha descrito en pocas palabras lo k es Rafa…
El es el futuro d tenis…una revelacion muy buena…suerte en tu carrera
Rafa t queremos para mucho tiempo en las canchas xk verte jugar tu tenis es algo tan grande y lujoso k no se puede describir….contigo se vive el tenis…se disfruta el tenis…el tenis está vivo….
Cuidate descansa…has tomado sabia decisiòn….y suerte para Us Open….SIEMPRE CONTIGO!!!!!
Si. he escrito Enhorabuena a Rafa 😃👑 , he rogado para él como siempre. Espero verle en Mallorca en septiembre. ☺ Fiona en Paris
Stephanos all the best,
and you did very well getting into the final,
Love and prayers,
AlaineXXSydneyXXAustralia
“I am capable of beating anyone on the court, any opponent…” confidence is one thing, execution is another. What a contrast to his words after experiencing Rafael Nadal’s work ethic. Passion and suffering-Rafael’s bio. Tsitsipas is learning fast🤯from the best of the best.
I can’t remember what he said before the Barcelona Final, but he got a similar hiding there. I think he needed some big pre-match words to fire himself up a little! And it is true that he is capable of beating great players when he’s on form. But as you say, execution is all. It seems Stefanos is also not afraid of humble realism and praise for the opponent. I like that he wants to do well and is willing to learn. And what a steep learning curve; first two times he played Rafa were finals!
All the best.
un bouledogue , monstre ? et puis quoi encore ? Talentueux , Nadal est un super joueur
qui a beaucoup travaillé et voilà les résultats !
Ce jeune Tsitsipas manque un peu de finesse dans ses propos
Je pense qu’il l’a dit comme un compliment sportif, mais je vois ce que vous dites.
Nelly, C’étaient des compliments pas des insultes.
RAFA ROCKS
Stefanos is a beautiful human being just like Rafa and I’ve no doubt he will reach great heights in his future.
Nice words from him.