dailyloe.com – Stefanos Tsitsipas is set to face Casper Ruud in the round of 16 at the Madrid Open after a challenging start to the year. Despite criticism from Jim Courier regarding his performance against Alexander Bublik, Tsitsipas secured a straight sets victory. He then followed this with another win against Daniel Merida, advancing to meet Ruud.
Tsitsipas has acknowledged the need for significant improvements to regain his competitive edge on the ATP Tour. Speaking to Ziggo Sport, he stated, “I used to be one of the best players in the world on serve plus one.” He emphasized that this aspect of his game has diminished recently, impacting his performance.
He continued, “That is something that gave me a lot of wins… I managed to execute my game plan really confidently with a lot of aggression and confidence behind every single shot.” Tsitsipas, previously ranked as high as world number 3 in 2021, is looking to recapture that level.
In the upcoming match against Ruud, Tsitsipas faces a tough challenge, especially on clay, which is Ruud’s preferred surface. Their round of 16 encounter marks their first ATP Tour meeting in over two years. Ruud leads their head-to-head record with three wins out of five matches.
Of the three victories Ruud holds over Tsitsipas, two were secured on clay. Their last meeting in Madrid resulted in a straight sets win for Ruud in 2021. Tsitsipas aims to improve his performance and reclaim his position among the top players on the ATP Tour.
