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How much does the importance of Roger Federer weigh for the Team Europe? In the second match of the Laver Cup, Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-1 6-4, bringing the first point to Team Europe, but it was atthe press conference that the Greek tennis player expressed several interesting points on important topics, one of which was the importance of the Swiss Maestro for the European team.
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"It is a huge advantage that we have. Roger is definitely in our team. He himself does not want to reveal it, but we all know that he is there whenever we need him for the important moments, and this is a small advantage that we carry with us. They may have Rod, but we have Roger," he explained.
On the value of the Laver Cup, Tsitsipas said: "For me, the Laver Cup is that honorary tournament that allows you to play and that makes you proud to have been selected to be part of the roster and the team. It goes beyond just the points, because you're chasing points all year, and this is a week where you're dedicated to playing your best tennis because obviously it's already an honor to be part of the team and you want to maximize it as much as possible. I actually feel more excited for competitions like the Laver Cup, probably than other tournaments during the year."
The Greek also talkedabout the role of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz for the future of tennis: "As for Carlos and Jannik, it was great for tennis to see them win Slams. First of all, it was a learning experience for us, to see what it takes to be in their position. These two players are among the strongest, most aggressive that the tour has at the moment. They also teach you that you have to really push yourself and that you can't be too passive to win Slams."
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Tsitsipas also explored his relationship with Team Europe captain Bjorn Borg: "I feel like the aura makes a big difference. Sometimes it's not what they say to you or how they say it to you. It's the intimacy you feel when someone sits next to you and communicates things to you in a spiritual way. I feel like that's something I've appreciated with Bjorn in the last few years, having played the Laver Cup, and that's also why I keep coming back. I know I have a great team captain who supports my tennis. That's also something that gives me a lot of relief when I go out on court," he said.
On his performance against the Australian, the Greek analyzed: "A great start for my debut this year in Berlin. I want to honor my captains and the team I'm surrounded by. I know this is Bjorn's last year as team captain, and the same goes for Thomas. My desire for this week is to try to maximize my game as much as possible. I know it's easy to say, but I'll have to work hard for every single set I play this week. My overall game today is positive and I'm happy with how things went during the whole match. I felt in control."
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In an interview with ANT1 channel, Tsitsipas' mother, Yulia Salnikova, who revealed previously unpublished details about the breakup between Stefanos and Apostolos and the Greek champion's childhood. Salnikova revealed how the relationship between the two deteriorated after her son's defeat to Borna Coric at the 2020 US Open, played behind closed doors due to the COVID pandemic, a match during which Tsitsipas asked his father to leave the stadium in the middle of the match.
"There were things in Stefanos' life that distracted him, but that made him happy. He is a professional and, although he loves his father very much, he understood that he has to find another coach. Since 2020, when he lost at the US Open, we decided together with Apostolos that Stefanos would change coaches. However, four years have passed and Stefanos has achieved good results. However, I believe that Stefanos and Apostolos did not have a good relationship since then, they had constant conflicts and that is why Stefanos ended up making the decision to change coaches. We do not see it as a tragedy, we are a very close family. Apostolos did not realize that he was putting too much pressure on Stefanos' shoulders, he only had tennis on his mind," she said.
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Salnikova then talked about the difficult childhood of the Greek tennis player, who also suffered bullying at school.
"When he was a child, Stefanos also played soccer, but in the end he decided to play tennis, and it was a good decision. He was a very quiet and very shy child. Because of sports, he didn't attend some classes and the boys in his class were not his friends, it was impossible to call them that, because they treated him very badly. There were two or three boys in his class who sometimes beat him. It wasn't easy for Stefanos, but he overcame all of this because tennis was in his head and that kept him going. Tennis helped him a lot," Yulia revealed.
Stefanos' mother concluded by talking about Tsitsi's love story with Badosa: "The most important thing is that Stefanos is very happy to be back with Paula Badosa. If he is happy, I am too. When they broke up, we went through difficult times, I stood up for Paula, we talked and that's how they got back together."
