"Not happy with the way I played" says Basilashvili despite win over Tsitsipas

Nikoloz Basilashvili played a solid match to defeat a very shaky Tsitsipas in 3 sets and after the match, the Georgian was not very happy with the way he played.

Nikoloz Basilashvili achieved the biggest success of his 2021 campaign with a win over Stefanos Tsitsipas that sent him to the BNP Paribas Open semifinal. The Georgian has had a sneakily solid season overall, much improved from the terrible one he had in 2020. Against Tsitsipas he played okay but far from his best this week and he admitted as much:

“I have played really great matches this tournament. I was not that happy with how I played today but I was happy with how I managed my stress levels. First time in the quarter-finals and it is a big court and Stefanos is a super tough player. I had to keep my physical levels and energy levels in really good shape because I knew mentally I would be a little bit tight and stressed.”

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Basilashvili captured titles in Doha and Munich this year while also having abysmal showings other weeks. The Goergian admitted that he worked really hard and he is glad to see the results on the court:

“I have spent a lot of time working hard. I have been playing really well. For me to overcome stressful moments I am really happy. I also found it here that the conditions don’t suit my game because the balls fly a lot, but this year I am playing well.”

He will face Taylor Fritz in the semifinals later today and that is a good chance for him if he plays well. Fritz is playing very well as well so it will be tough either way.