Stefanos Tsitsipas: endurance is the key to clay-court success through Monte Carlo resurgence

From his slice to his social media, Stefanos Tsitsipas is definitely back in a groove at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

The two-time champion arrived at what is effectively his home tournament under the radar this week, undercooked from injuries and ranked outside the Top 10, without a quarterfinal result at the Australian Open or either of the Sunshine Swing tournaments in North America. But away from the hard courts, the 25-year-old has rediscovered his passion for the game, which has translated to an impressive run to the semifinals where he is yet to drop a set. His latest: a 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 15 seed Karen Khachanov.

“I’ve had moments where perhaps where I wasn’t as committed and didn’t feel the love as much,” Tsitsipas admitted earlier in the week when he visited the Tennis Channel Live Desk. “I think changing your routines, kind of prioritizing things a little bit more, and also prioritizing my creative side.”

That creativity has, in the past, manifested in film and vlog projects, including a Dear Fans digital collaboration with Tennis Channel, but it most often shows up on social media when the Greek No. 1 sends off-beat missives on social media, typically a mix of online humor and inspiration.

“I have this creative side that I don’t often explore and harvest as much because of the tennis,” said the former world No. 3. “Putting some attention there sometimes, or even going on a two-three-day trip on my own helps me feel relief and helps me come back to the courts hungrier. There are a lot of things I have in my life that I often wish I can put more attention to, but at the same time, obviously I’m a professional tennis player and that’s what takes the biggest amount of my concentration and time. I really have to be 100% present at it.”

Barring a blip in the third round against Alexander Zverev, against whom he squandered a 5-0 second set lead before winning in a tiebreaker, Tsitsipas has looked more present on his beloved clay courts, the surface on which he won his first Masters 1000 title and reached his first major final at 2021 Roland Garros.

“Well, there is a different element to it, of course, which is the rallying,” said Tsitsipas when asked what makes clay-court tennis special. “It’s much more intense and endurance is the key part of clay-court tennis. At the same time there is a lot of tactical elements that come with it. The fact that you can slow down and take a bit of extra time, you can choose when you attack and when you defend, this adds a bit of a different element to it. On hard courts, I feel like you’re trying to repetitively do the same thing.

“Yes, it is physically demanding, more than on any other surface. But I’ve been working a lot on my fitness for the last few weeks and this is something that I’m already prepared for.”

Tsitsipas will need to employ all that preparation in the semis, where he will face either No. 7 seed Holger Rune or No. 2 seed Jannik Sinner, who has lost just one match all season.