Tsitsipas on playing in Mexico 'Mexico is where it all started for me'

Tuesday, 16 March 2021 at 09:45

Stefanos Tsitsipas elected not to play in Dubai this year choosing Acapulco instead and ahead of the event, he shared some memories about Mexico.

The first time Tsitsipas went to Mexico was in 2014 and it was the first time his father Apostolos went with him as his full-time coach. A few weeks later he won the prestigious Orange Bowl and he has been on the rise ever since. Reminiscing about those memories he said:

“That was my first elevation in tennis. Mexico is pretty much the place where it all started for me, chasing the dream,” Tsitsipas said. “I feel like Mexicans share a lot of common things with Greeks and I can see that from people and the food and the culture. There are many similarities and I really like Mexican people. They treat me really well and they’re very hard-working and humble and very ethical in many ways.”

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This will be the first time Tsitsipas will play at the Abierto Mexicano Acapulco and as a pandemic year, it's quite a restrictive event. Players are not able to enjoy all the amenities Acapulco usually offers but Tsitsipas is content with only the look:

“It is definitely something refreshing and nourishing to have this. I feel much more energized, I feel much better being exposed to the sun and finally getting a tan, which I wasn’t given the opportunity [to do in] the past couple of weeks. t’s a very nice setup and a very nice location for tennis.”

Tsitsipas in pursuing his first Master's trophy and winning a big trophy is a goal he has set for himself at the start of the season. When asked how close he was he gave this assessment:

“I’m really close. I think what lack when it comes to my performance in order to make a [Grand Slam] final is probably a little bit more experience. I just think I need a little bit more confidence when I face these players. I see no reason to not keep trying and make it again to a Grand Slam semi-final and learn from my previous experiences and take my chances and go for it without fear. I don’t have to overthink it.”