When it comes to the clay court season, Stefanos Tsitsipas often excels, and it’s clear that the surface is one that he favours over the others.
Last week in Monte Carlo, he reached the quarter-final before losing to Lorenzo Musetti and this week in Barcelona, he will be hoping to go one better.
Tsitsipas has taken to the conditions well in Spain and standing in his way of a last-four berth this time around is burgeoning young talent Arthur Fils.
Fils was in fine form in Monte Carlo and came within a whisker of knocking Carlos Alcaraz – the eventual winner – out of the tournament at the quarter-final stage.
As a result, Tsitsipas will need to come up with a game plan when he meets the Frenchman tomorrow and it would appear that he’s already got one hatched.
Stefanos Tsitsipas knows what he’s going to do against Arthur Fils
It’s rare that sports stars reveal their masterplan towards success but Greek star Tsitsipas has been happy to discuss his preparation ahead of the match.
The pair will face off tomorrow in what looks to be an intriguing match-up and Tsitsipas has been sharing exactly how he’s going to prepare.
He told The Tennis Channel: “We have had our fair share of matches in the past. He is someone who actually has climbed the rankings quite fast. He has a very explosive game. I feel like my tactic and the way I am going to approach this match is not letting him dictate too much and create his own pace when he’s hitting and generating power too often.
“It is one of those things that is not going to be easy. It is going to be demanding from my side to be able to play deep, have him on the stretch most of the time. He is a competitor and we are both competitors. I wish for myself to stay close in the score and have this match pushed to its extremes, if that’s possible. That is my mindset walking into this match.”
Tsitsipas looking for first win over Fils
The Greek performer is always a strong performer on the clay courts but he will need to do something he’s never done if he’s to overcome Fils tomorrow.
Tsitsipas has never managed to beat Fils in their two meetings, although they haven’t come across each other on a clay court just yet.
| Year | Winner | Tournament | Round | Score |
| 2023 | Fils | Antwerp Open | SF | 7-6, 6-3 |
| 2024 | Fils | Basel Open | QF | 7-6, 7-6 |
The two meetings were relatively close but ultimately it was the French youngster who prevailed on both occasions.
Tsitsipas will want to get into top form ahead of the French Open where he will be hoping to go one better than he did in 2021 when he reached the final before losing to Novak Djokovic.
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