Stefanos Tsitsipas admits the ‘massive mistake’ he made in the French Open final where he lost to Novak Djokovic

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Stefanos Tsitsipas has opened up on where he fell short against Novak Djokovic in the 2021 French Open final.

The Greek player has reached two Grand Slam finals in his career so far, the first of which came against the Serbian in the French capital.

Stefanos Tsitsipas produced some of his best tennis in 2021 as he won two titles on the European clay ahead of competing at the French Open.

His good form brought him on the cusp of achieving Grand Slam glory for the first time, but Novak Djokovic once again showed why he is one of the game’s greatest players.

Stefanos Tsitsipas admits ‘making a mistake’ against Novak Djokovic in their French Open final

For the second year in a row at Roland Garros, Tsitsipas faced Djokovic, and both meetings went to five sets.

The 37-year-old won their 2020 semi-final 6-3 6-2 5-7 4-6 6-1, and their championship match a year later was another memorable encounter.

Tsitsipas claimed the first two sets and looked as though he would claim victory, but Djokovic came roaring back to win 6-7(6) 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 and win the second of his three French Open titles.

Reflecting on this missed opportunity, Tsitsipas admits he has one regret which may have cost him that final.

“I made a massive mistake in the final. That is the only regret that I have,” Tsitispas told the Tennis Insider Club podcast. “I just learned through that final that superstitions aren’t always necessarily good.

“That goes for not eating as well when playing a final, which can cost you so much. I am sure I am not the only tennis player who doesn’t do that, but especially when you are playing a best of five match it can really cost you.

“At two sets to love up I was running out of energy, I remember my energy kept dropping little by little but I was convincing myself that I was doing well without it and I don’t need to change anything right now.

“I felt like it was too late after when I started. I did start in the fourth set and in the fourth set I convinced myself I should do things differently now, but the train had left at the time. It was a bit late. I realise the hard way, that’s the only regret I have from the final.”

What is Stefanos Tsitsipas’ head-to-head record against Novak Djokovic?

The 2021 French Open final was the eighth time that Tsitsipas played against Djokovic.

The victory ensured that Djokovic defeated the World number 13 for the sixth time, and for the fifth time in a row.

In fact, Djokovic is now on an 11-match win streak against Tsitsipas. The 26-year-old won two of his first three meetings against the former World number one at the Canadian Open and Shanghai Masters.

He has not been able to defeat the 24-time Grand Slam champion since, and has now lost 12 of their 14 meetings.

Tsitsipas last played Djokovic at the 2024 Paris Olympics quarter-finals, which he lost 3-6, 6-7 as Djokovic went on to become Olympic champion.