One of the biggest attractions at the Mutua Madrid Open is Stefanos Tsitsipas. In recent seasons, the 2019 finalist has shown himself to be something of a clay specialist, coming close to his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros (2021) and recently claiming the title in Monte Carlo.

The Athens native arrives in the Caja Mágica bidding to improve on his last-sixteen exit last year and aware that the idiosyncrasies of the Spanish capital always have a role to play. “I arrived a bit earlier. It’s different clay court tennis. It doesn’t really feel as much of a clay court tournament because you are dealing mostly with altitude than the clay itself”, said the 23-year-old player.

Tsitsipas, who was a quarter-finalist in Barcelona, his last event, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz, discussed the keys to his adaptation to the new playing conditions. “Swings are different. It’s a lot harder to open the court. You’re just dealing with higher balls and heavier balls. It’s more about trying to make that extra ball in the court deep and with a lot of precision”, explained the Greek.

The fourth seed, who will play his #MMOPEN opener against the winner of the clash between Frenchman Lucas Pouille and Karen Khachanov, feels like his progress in recent years has moved him up the tour hierarchy. “I have better results. I have gained more experience and played more matches. I have seen certain scenarios more than I had when I first came here, and that is what I have in my portfolio. It’s up to me to see if I’m able to use that and utilise it in the best possible way”, ended Tsitsipas.

The 2019 #MMOPEN runner-up has arrived in the Caja Mágica.@steftsitsipas | @atptour pic.twitter.com/9c4OiEPHkR

— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) April 30, 2022