Stefanos Tsitsipas has mixed emotions as he leaves the Australian Open

Stefanos Tsitsipas has mixed emotions as he leaves the Australian Open, earning the biggest win of his career against Roger Federer before a lackluster exit against Rafael Nadal.

The 20-year-old defeated his childhood idol Federer in four sets in the fourth round, but won just half a dozen games against Nadal in his first Grand Slam semifinal.

It was still a breakthrough event for the No. 15 from Greece, who got plenty of attention for his run.

"For sure, I mean, this tournament kind of changed and gave another dimension to my career. I'm really happy that I got some good wins this week, against Roger," Tsitsipas said. "But I'm really disappointed today because, again, I feel like I could prove myself a little bit more, not let him dominate the entire match. Just felt wrong."

A lot of that was due to Nadal's high level of play, acknowledged Tsitsipas, who has yet to take a set in three meetings with Rafa.

"He gives you no rhythm. He plays just a different game style than the rest of the players," he said. "I felt like my reaction time was very slow. I felt like everything was not that alert like it usually is. I felt a bit down."

His experience at this event has increased his ambition to be a top player, even while showing him what it requires.

"It's nice to have wins against these kinds of players, Top 4," said Tsitsipas. "I mean, it's not that I don't want it. I really want it badly. But I've got to want it a bit more than I want it at the moment."

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