Stefanos Tsitsipas is into the third round of the Italian Open after winning his opening match against Alexandre Muller in straight sets 6-2, 7-6.
The Greek player is hoping to finally get going on clay this season, after a disappointing first three tournaments on the dirt so far this year.
Since it was revealed that Tsitsipas would appoint Goran Ivanisevic as his new coach, he has managed just four wins on his preferred surface.
The world number 19 will play Arthur Fils in the next round, whom Tsitsipas played at the Barcelona Open, before he retired due to injury after going two games down.
Despite his second-round victory at the Italian Open, Tsitsipas is still not happy with a certain part of his game.
Stefanos Tsitsipas says he wants to see a ‘switch’ in his mental game after Italian Open victory
Speaking to Tennis Channel after the match, Tsitsipas said: “I want to see a switch in my mental aspect when I’m on the court. I’m playing good tennis, I just want to see myself believe it even more.”
“[I want to] believe that I’m one of the big guys in every single tournament that I step in, and I want to kind of impose that more and more in every single match that I get to play.”
“I feel like sometimes I get stuck a little bit on the previous point and what happened two or three points before.”
“If I manage to erase that and just start fresh every single time that something doesn’t really go my way, I see no reason to get stuck on a repetitive pattern. I want to unlock that. I’m working towards it.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas’ disappointing clay season so far
Tsitsipas has found plenty of success on clay over the course of his career, having won five of his 12 career titles on the surface, including three Masters 1000 titles exclusively in Monte-Carlo.
The 26-year-old appears to be struggling this season, however, having not made it past the quarter-final stage at any clay event this year.
Tsitsipas’ clay swing got off to a poor start when he failed to defend his Monte-Carlo title, falling to Lorenzo Musetti in the quarter-final.
- Monte-Carlo Masters: Lost in the first round to Lorenzo Musetti
- Barcelona Open: Retired due to injury in the quarter-final against Fils
- Madrid Open: Lost in the second round to Musetti
After winning his first two matches in straight sets at the Barcelona Open, Tsitsipas went out in another quarter-final exit, after being forced to retire in his bout with Frenchman Fils due to injury.
His Madrid Open campaign lasted just two matches, bowing out in the second round to Musetti, albeit in a closely contested match.
The former world number three has got off to a strong start in the Eternal City and will look to build some momentum against Fils in the next round.
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