"Today I was mostly pushing against myself" admits Tsitsipas after escaping De Minaur

Stefanos Tsitsipas needed three sets once more at the BNP Paribas Open but despite losing the first one he was able to come back and win. The match was an exhausting one for Tsitsipas who has dealt with cold-like symptoms for a few days now. De Minaur played his best tennis in a while but ultimately Tsitsipas was able to endure the Australian and defeat him thanks to his tremendous stamina.

After the match Tsitsipas said:

“I feel like today’s game I was mostly pushing against myself rather than my opponent and it was one of those matches where I really had to get to the limit and show what I’m capable of when I’m in the red zone. That was incredible the way I just stayed in the match. I had to go through so many difficulties in order to find a solution and I executed towards the end of the match."

For Tsitsipas securing a victory was extremely important both for his confidence and his general desire to play good tennis. After the match he admitted that the has been a difficult journey but also one from which he can learn a lot:

“I know there are a lot of seeds, which play great tennis. My biggest priority is to play my best against any player regardless of the ranking or status. This week has been a difficult journey with lots of battles, two three-setters so far, so this is something I’m going to take as a learning experience and use it for something better in the tournament.”