Mats Wilander says Stefanos Tsitsipas is serving 'unbelievably well' at Australian Open and it's a 'huge weapon'
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Published 24/01/2023 at 13:44 GMT
Stefanos Tsitsipas’ serve has became a “huge” strength of his game according to Eurosport expert Mats Wilander. Tsitsipas served his way out of trouble at key moments in his victory over Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and is favourite to reach a second Grand Slam final. Justine Henin says she has seen “no panic” from the Greek player in Melbourne.
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Eurosport expert Mats Wilander believes Stefanos Tsitsipas’ serve has “become a huge weapon” at this year’s Australian Open which was underlined in his victory straight sets over Jiri Lehecka.
Tsitsipas held his serve throughout the tight match, fending off eight break point opportunities for Lehecka by serving his way out of trouble.
He only broke his opponent twice and played some of his best tennis in the second set tie-break during his 6-3 7-6(2) 6-4 win.
"He's serving unbelievably well, I’m not sure if the toss is in a better place maybe,” observed seven-time Grand Slam champion Wilander on Eurosport’s Australian Open coverage.
“But the percentage of unreturned serves when you play someone who is as good a ball striker as Lehecka to get free points was unbelievable.
“It’s become a huge weapon. He's figured out how to hit pretty precise serves. He's not as precise as someone like Novak Djokovic but he’s got the power.
“Those serves when he was 0-40 down [in the seventh game of the third set] were huge for him.
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“I think it’s nearly like ‘ooh, I didn’t really expect to get many unreturned serves’, because his game is really based on hitting forehands and hitting heavy groundstrokes.”
Tsitsipas will contest his fourth Australian Open semi-final in five years, but he has never reached the final in Melbourne.
His only Grand Slam final came at the 2021 French Open, where he was beaten by Novak Djokovic in five sets.
Seven-time major winner Justine Henin says Tsitsipas has looked “really comfortable” and took his opportunities against Lehecka.
“We know with Stefanos, with the fact the he has to put intensity into his game, going a lot to the net, being offensive, it's really demanding," said Henin.
“Sometimes he can lose a bit the intensity and the focus. But we could feel he was still really calm at that time, serving good, being aggressive, playing the game he can play.
“What I can feel, also, is that he has a lot of fun to play the Australian Open. He loves to fight, he loves to be with the crowd and I think that we could see no panic.
The questions have been asked to him on the court, and he talked about the experience, and it looks like the confidence in this kind of moment is very important for him.”
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Tim Henman believes Tsitsipas looks more motivated than ever as he bids to win his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.
Eurosport expert Henman said: “I was a bit frustrated last year because Stefanos won so many matches, being so consistent, and then in the Grand Slams, we felt - except at the Australian Open - that it was a bit more difficult.
“I was saying that maybe he is playing too much, season after season, he has to plan his goals also. I think he learnt a lot from last year - I have the feeling he wants to take the experience and the lessons from that.
“We can feel something is different about Stefanos in this tournament. We can feel that he wants so much to go to a final of a Grand Slam. He wants to win, this we can feel - and he shows it.”
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