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Novak Djokovic seems to have forgotten that Stefanos Tsitsipas was his opponent in the 2021 French Open final. On Monday, Djokovic defeated Alex De Minaur 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the quarterfinals. of the Australian Open.
Addressing the fact that he is the only living Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open, Djokovic began by amazingly explaining how Tsitsipas could not be taken lightly despite never reaching a Major final. To be the only one left in the tournament to have won a Grand Slam, of course I'm flattered, but I don't think it's going to make a big difference, to be honest.
Maybe for me, but maybe not for others. I don't know. I know Tsitsipas, for example, probably the most experienced of all of them, of all the quarterfinalists. He has already played the final phases of a Grand Slam many times. I think he has never played in a final, am I wrong?" Djokovic said after his victory in the round of 16 at the Australian Open, according to Musab Abid.
Reminded by reporters that he came from two sets down to beat Tsitsipas in the 2021 French Open final, Djokovic corrected himself, insisting that Tsitsipas looks like someone primed for a Grand Slam title. "That's how it is.
That's how it is. Sorry I was wrong. What I wanted to say is that I wanted to congratulate him because he's someone who seems ready for the title, and the way he's been playing, he's getting closer," Djokovic said. Meanwhile, Djokovic will face Andrey Rublev.
Since Djokovic and Tsitsipas are not in the same part of the draw, they could only face each other in the Australian Open final.
Tsitsipas will face Karen Khachanov
Stefanos Tsitsipas expressed his regret after nearly hitting a ball kid during his quarterfinal match at the AO.
"I saw the ball kid when the ball came back. I'm a professional tennis player. I was not aiming for the ball kid obviously. I saw the wall, just went back towards the wall. The ball kid, in my eyes, was pretty far away from me. Would have really had to miss to hit that ball kid," Tsitsipas said.
"What I did, definitely I'm not happy about that. I shouldn't have done it. But it was part of the moment. My ball fell short. There was a little bit of frustration there, but things happen," Stefanos Tsitsipas said. "I just continued and continued playing from that point onwards.
I didn't let that affect me because the distance was pretty big and the margin, yeah, really had to do something different there," he added further.