Stefanos Tsitsipas recently gave a controversial take on what he thinks is the best surface to play tennis. The World No. 3’s opinion was met with divided reactions from tennis fans.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is currently contesting his first claycourt tournament of the season at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters, where he is the two-time defending champion. He has found some of the best results of his career on clay; he has two clay Masters 1000 titles in addition to two more trophies (in Estoril and Lyon), as well as six other runner-up finishes.
In a recent interview with L'Equipe, the 2021 French Open runner-up sang high praises of the red dirt while also noting the limitations of faster courts. Tsitsipas declared that clay is the surface where the “purest form of tennis” is played.
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"When it's super fast you don't construct anything, " Tsitsipas said. "On clay, go ahead, find a nice tactic, good angles. The clay is like an artist's canvas, you can paint on it, it's all its beauty. The purest form of tennis is played on red clay."
Many fans on Twitter seconded Stefanos Tsitsipas' view, and some even used it to back their claim that Rafael Nadal, unarguably the most successful clay-courter of all time, is thus the best tennis player.
“That's why Rafael Nadal is the true King of tennis,” one fan remarked.
“It’s true though. having played tennis professionally, you definitely need the most skill to play on clay. on fast courts you can get by with a big serve and one big shot. tsitsipas reached the Aussie open final as well, so he’s not that biased,” another fan observed.
However, a few admirers of more aggressive tennis opined otherwise, with a few even bashing the two-time Grand Slam finalist for his take.
“As usual the guy is spewing some nonsense … try grass next time,” one individual said.
Here are a few more reactions from fans:
Stefanos Tsitsipas keeps his title defense hopes alive at 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters
Stefanos Tsitsipas is through to the Round of 16 at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters. The two-time defending champion received a bye in the opening round of the tournament.
In the second round, he faced Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi. Their clash was cut short at 4-1 in favor of Tsitsipas after Bonzi was forced to retire, owing to a wrist injury.
The 24-year-old Greek now awaits the winner between Chile’s Nicolas Jarry and Australia’s Alexei Popyrin for a spot in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
