Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas crashed out of the U.S. Open in the first round of the Grand Slam tournament after losing in 4 sets to Greek-Australian Thanassi Kokkinakis (3-1, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5).
Meanwhile, Maria Sakkari was also eliminated in the same tournament in the first round after a walkover due to the Greek tennis player suffering an injury. After dropping the first set to China’s Wang Yafan (6-2), Sakkari felt intense pain in her right shoulder, informing the court physician that she could not continue the match.
Following his loss to Kokkinaki, a despondent Stefanos Tsitsipas admitted he was in a slump in his career in the post-match interview, adding he was at a crisis point.
A visibly disappointed Tsitsipas said: “I don’t resemble anything like the player I used to be. I remember myself when I was younger, playing with adrenaline, feeling like my life depended on the match. And I think that has faded; let’s say my level of consistency hasn’t been that great.”
“I remember my focus was at its highest point, at its peak back then, and that’s something I feel I’ve lost a bit. I know it sounds strange, but I feel like I need to find that hunger I had back then—and I’m not someone who feels good or settles for ordinary things,” the Greek tennis player continued.
He concluded by saying: “Maybe it’s been a year or two that I’ve been feeling this way. I guess I was able to hide it somewhat during the previous period.”
