"It's difficult to accept": Stefanos Tsitsipas expresses frustration after Monte-Carlo Masters exit

Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas has expressed his frustration after being crashed out of the Monte-Carlo Masters. The 26-year-old, who is regarded as one of the most talented men’s tennis players in the singles category, is going through a bit of a lean patch.

His most recent outing was the ongoing ATP 1000 in Monaco, where he lost to Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti with a score of 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Before coming to the competition, he lost in straight sets to America's Sebastian Korda in the round of 32 of the Miami Open with a score of 7-6, 6-3.

The defeat was a surprising one for Tsitsipas, who came into the competition after winning three out of the last four titles at the Monte-Carlo Masters. He lifted the title last year after beating Norway’s Casper Ruud in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-4. He also won the competition in 2022 after beating Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final in straight sets and in 2021 after beating Russia’s Andrey Rublev in the final in straight sets.

Tsitsipas spoke to the media after the match and expressed his frustration about his own performance on the day. He was of the opinion that he should have won the match, especially after winning the first set with very little resistance from Musetti.

"Well.. yeah.. it's difficult to accept. Feeling so confident playing on this court and not being able to win a match that I felt I kind of had every reason to try and win is definitely heartbreaking," said Tsitsipas. "I just feel like I could have done way more today. I missed forehands I never miss. I was actually quite surprised to see those forehands go out or to the net," he added. "I was kind of confused, looking deep down, trying to understand what’s happening, because these things are definitely not normal."