Depuis sa finale perdue à l'open d'Australie Stefanos Tsitsipas est un peu en retrait. Entre blessure et manque confiance, le joueur a souvent déçu. Si depuis le début de la saison sur terre battue, sa surface préférée, cela semble aller mieux, il n'a eu aucun titre à se mettre sous la dent. Si sa demie à Rome restait prometteuse, tombé dans la partie de tableau de Novak Djokovic et Carlos Alcaraz, la quinzaine s'annonce compliquée pour le joueur qui commencera face à Jiri Vesely. Lors du média day, le Grec a parlé librement de son statut de favori dans le tournoi, de son choix de s'être séparé de Mark Philipoussis mais n'a pas voulu commenter l'animation qu'il y a eu dans son box sur ses dernières semaines.
00:00 It is often said that tennis is an individual sport,
00:04 but it is never more beautiful than when it is collective.
00:09 BNP Paribas, faithful to tomorrow's tennis for 50 years.
00:15 We have another exciting edition of the Roland-Garros this year.
00:19 I think every player is excited to be participating and giving himself a chance to do well
00:25 in one of the most chic Grand Slams of the year.
00:29 I am extremely honoured to be playing again and being part of this whole Parisian experience.
00:37 I think it is a tournament that has a very special place in my heart.
00:43 Starting my journey on clay courts and getting to be literally in the palace of clay courts
00:51 and the best place that has to offer tennis in terms of tradition and history.
01:00 This is something that ignites me.
01:05 Steph, obviously some of your best results have come on the surface.
01:10 When you arrive here, irrespective of how well you have done coming in,
01:13 do you feel like you are one of the best clay courters on tour when you come here
01:18 and you feel like you are one of the favourites?
01:20 It is all about getting into the mindset of the Roland-Garros final that I had here.
01:25 It was a great two weeks of tennis for me.
01:28 I do remember how I did things and I do remember what worked better for me
01:35 during these two weeks in Paris.
01:39 Of course, it is important to recreate it and stay disciplined along the journey.
01:46 There are matches that are going to be difficult.
01:50 I had a few comebacks that year.
01:52 I think the year before I was down to such love.
01:57 I managed to win that first round opener and sailed through quite smoothly after that,
02:06 if I am not wrong. That was in 2021.
02:10 I think it was 2020 and then followed the next year by a final in 2021.
02:18 Opponents are tough opponents.
02:24 Some of them might not like clay as much as I do.
02:27 Some have actually picked up on clay.
02:30 One of them being Daniel Medvedev, Andrey Rublev.
02:35 Guys like Novak Djokovic are always a threat.
02:39 My capacity is big and grand and I can feel it.
02:48 I just need to get a few good first matches to keep believing that I can do something this year.
03:00 Going back to what you were saying about wanting to simplify things in your camp
03:06 and eliminate drains on your mental energy,
03:10 just thinking about what happened with your players' box in that final match you played in Rome against Daniil,
03:18 is that situation something that is draining on your mental energy
03:23 and is it something you feel you can eliminate going forward?
03:26 I have no comment on that.
03:29 Last question in English.
03:30 Hi, I am Florian from Switzerland.
03:33 In Switzerland, women's football is very big and Alicia Lehmann is one of the biggest players.
03:38 Apparently you gifted her your racket, is that correct?
03:41 When do you see a double city pass against or with Alicia?
03:46 Yes, absolutely. I am a big supporter of Aston Villa.
03:50 I have always been a supporter of the team.
03:52 Alicia is a gifted athlete and plays very good football.
03:58 I have always had that idea in my head to make friends from different sports and backgrounds.
04:08 One of them is Yannis Sade Dokunbo, who is a basketball player and we stay in touch quite frequently.
04:13 I want to do the same from the other gender.
04:15 It has been very inspiring.
04:18 It is so beautiful to relate on things and talk openly about stuff that I am not used to.
04:24 Talk with regular people.
04:27 It has evolved into a very nice friendship.
04:30 I wish her the best. I support her quite often.
04:35 I think it is important to have that sort of attitude towards others.
04:38 Wishing them big success, wishing them health.
04:42 Also, be able to talk openly about different stuff.
04:48 Talk about sports, talk about the hustle and the difficulties and the adversity that we have to overcome to thrive.
04:56 It is something that I have been very carefully building.
05:06 When I was younger, I had a phase where I was just going to focus on my tennis.
05:13 I won't focus on any friends right now.
05:15 This is not an important part of my life to be making friends.
05:20 Right now, I am in a phase of my life where having friends and having different types of communications and connections with people means so much to me.
05:28 I am learning so much through that, which ultimately makes me a better person, which I am aiming for every single day.
05:37 You mentioned Novak a moment ago. If he wins here, that would give him his 23rd Grand Slam title.
05:48 Can you wrap your head around the significance of that number and that idea of getting that many?
05:57 Do you think it would or should change the way people perceive his career and think about him as a player?
06:05 That he would be alone on top for the first time with the most Grand Slam titles won by a man?
06:11 I don't go to sleep at night thinking about that. It doesn't really cross my mind.
06:15 It doesn't occupy too much of my thoughts.
06:18 It would be great for him.
06:21 If he is capable of doing it, I have massive respect.
06:26 What I am out here trying to do is just focus on myself and perhaps be the guy that everyone will hate one day.
06:37 In a good way.
06:40 Pick up on the news?
06:43 As they say, you become very unpopular when you start winning.
