Stefanos Tsitsipas says he had to be mentally sharp against the Filipinos. —AP
It may not have looked like it, but Stefanos Tsitsipas had a hard time during the Davis Cup weekend.
While the world No. 6 played true to his lofty billing, brandishing his high-level game that both delighted the crowd and intimidated his Filipino opponents, Tsitsipas admitted having to work hard for points over the weekend.
“It’s kind of seem easy for me, but it’s not,” said Tsitsipas after a 6-2, 6-1 win over PH No. 1 Jeson Patrombon in the reverse singles that clinched the tie for Greece on Saturday.
On Friday, he dismissed Alberto Lim Jr. by the same score to set the tone for Greece in its Davis Cup World Group 2 showdown with the Philippines.
“I knew deep inside that I have to work for the points,” Tsitsipas said. “It’s a mental game, you got to work for the points and not wait for easy mistakes.”
All through the tie, “I just stayed pretty consistent,” he said.
The Filipinos did not. And that made the difference in the 3-1 series.
The Filipinos did have their moment of glory after Francis Casey Alcantara and Ruben Gonzales staved off a shutout when they defeated Markos Kalovelonis and Petros Tsitsipas, 7-6 (5), 6-4.
Gonzales said the Greeks brought out the best in them.
“There’s a big reason why we played very well [and] it’s because of them,” Gonzales said.
Petros, Stefanos’ 19-year-old brother, admired the gallant stand put up by the hosts in the doubles match.
“They played very well. They played at a top level,” Petros said. “Especially Ruben and Francis, he was very quick at the net. They got good chemistry.”