"I wasn't ready for Rafael Nadal" - Stefanos Tsitsipas makes brutally honest admission about playing 1st ATP final against Spaniard

Stefanos Tsitsipas’s first ATP final, at Barcelona in 2018, has been significant and a turning point in his career. The Greek had enjoyed an impressive run to the final, knocking out players like Dominic Thiem, Pablo Carreño Busta, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Corentin Moutet and Diego Schwartzman along the way. But despite his excellent form and the momentum he took with him into the final, Tsitsipas found himself up against the king of clay, Rafael Nadal — an opponent against whom he wasn’t quite ready to do battle at that stage.

Tsitsipas was completely dominated by the 14-time Roland Garros winner. Nadal comfortably won the match 6-2, 6-1. After that, the duo have played 8 more times in their careers, with Nadal leading the head-to-head 7-2.

Reflecting on this experience in a recent podcast with the Tennis Insider Club, Tsitsipas said [17:16 onwards]:

“That was a very strange match. I was playing crazy that week, I had a very nice session a few days before going to Barcelona with Patrick (Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena William’s former coach)... So, there were plenty of matches I had to overcome and then final was against Rafael Nadal. I remember thinking to myself, how did that even happen. I was not ready for Rafael Nadal. I thought I might have a chance because I’m like, I’m playing good, why not? And you know, you are young, you are stubborn, you are thinking so many different things at the time.”

The current World No. 12 had defeated five opponents before facing Nadal in the final. He had defeated everyone in straight sets till then. The Greek felt that he was playing the best tennis of his life and that he belonged at that stage before he was demolished by the greatness of the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

In a bizarre coincidence, the last match they played before Nadal retired was also at Barcelona in the final. Again, the Spaniard clinched the title in three sets.

Tsitsipas further reflected on what did he lack then and how he is completely different now.

“But reflecting on it now, looking at myself, how I was back then, no chance. There’s no chance I could have won that match. There’s no chance I could have done anything different that would have had a different result against him. I was just physically not ready because comparing myself to what I was back now, I was physically not even 50% of what I am now. And my tennis IQ and my IQ of how to play on clay was not as good as it is now. So, definitely not,” he remarked.

The former World No. 3 made use of this experience and reached the final of the 2021 French Open. However, he lost to Novak Djokovic in five sets despite taking the first two sets.

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Tsitsipas’ ATP Titles after the 2018 Barcelona Final Loss

Stefanos Tsitsipas at 2018 Barcelona Open - Source: Getty

Since his defeat to Rafael Nadal in the 2018 Barcelona Open final, Stefanos Tsitsipas has won 11 ATP singles titles, showcasing growth in his career. He claimed his first title at the 2018 Stockholm Open, becoming the first Greek player to do so. His success continued with Marseille and Estoril 2019. His biggest breakthrough came at the Nitto ATP Finals in London, where he became the youngest champion since 2001. He defeated Nadal, Danil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and Roger Federer before prevailing over Dominic Thiem in the final.

Excelling on clay, Tsitsipas won the Monte Carlo Masters three times (2021, 2022, 2024) and added victories in Lyon (2021) and Los Cabos (2023). Alongside these titles, he has reached two Grand Slam finals—the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open, finishing as the runner-up to Novak Djokovic on both occasions.

Despite early challenges against legends like Nadal, Tsitsipas has solidified himself as a top-tier player and proven that his 2018 Barcelona run was just the beginning of a successful career.