Tsitsipas calls Alcaraz 'a breath of fresh air' after opening French Open wake up call

Carlos Alcaraz has impressed many with his tennis including colleagues such as Stefanos Tsitsipas who called him a breath of fresh air in a recent press conference.

Alcaraz and Tsitispas have shared the court a few times and it was the former that proved better generally. They recently played in Barcelona and once again it was Alcaraz who proved better leaving Tsitsipas unable to produce a level good enough to stand up to the Spaniard. Somewhat of a humble soul, Tsitsipas generally draws inspiration from his losses and Alcaraz certainly has been inspiring for him.

They recently practiced together at Roland Garros as well and Tsitsipas talked about that encounter in his press conference:

“I had a practice session with Carlitos the other day and did throw in a “thank you” just randomly, and I don’t know if he understood that or not. I owe a lot to Carlitos because he’s such a breath of fresh air, the fact that he’s on the tour. The fact that he’s so competitive and he’s always with a smile on his face, and almost so much charisma to him and so much positive energy that he distributes. I think that’s contributed a lot to his growth as a tennis player and his consistency too. He seems to be enjoying having fun.”

Tsitsipas also admitted that he took some things from Alcaraz and incorporated it into his own tennis:

"Last year during preseason I was, like, I want to apply that more into my game. Players focus maybe more on technical stuff and stuff that doesn’t focus on these aspects of the game. I kind of admire him for who he is. I have the capacity of being that person. I truly believe that. That is also the reason that I’m just much more joyful and happy when playing this sport, due to him.”