"Mind was foggy... I couldn't see clearly" - Stefanos Tsitsipas reveals truth behind shocking Rotterdam exit against Mattia Bellucci

Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed that he was mentally and physically compromised during his surprising loss to Mattia Bellucci at the 2025 ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam. The Greek crashed out with a straight-sets loss in the quarterfinals on Friday, February 7.

Tsitsipas was a last-minute entrant at the ATP 500 event, having received a wildcard following World No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal. He kicked off his journey with a routine 6-1, 7-5 win against French qualifier Harold Mayot.

In the second round, on Thursday, February 6, Tsitsipas outlasted local favorite Tallon Griekspoor 6-7(5), 7-6(6), 7-5 in a taxing three-hour-long battle to set up a clash with Bellucci on Friday.

Responding to a question posed by Sportskeeda after the match, the player said:

"I think it was a battle of freshness. He was more fresh than me."

Tsitsipas added that he was struggling mentally and physically following his match against Griekspoor.

"My mind was a little bit – it felt foggy, like I had a brain fog during the match. I couldn’t see clearly what I was trying to do and where I was trying to play. And it was difficult."

He added that his frustrations stemmed from the fact that nothing was working despite his best efforts.

"My serve wasn’t going; nothing kind of worked and I struggled to even get the ball over the net. All of my unforced errors were going to the net even though I was trying to apply some top spin to the ball - it felt like it was completely dead and I was frustrated with that. Having played tennis for so long, I felt like nothing worked."

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Stefanos Tsitsipas on Rotterdam exit against Mattia Bellucci: "He did some good things"

Stefanos Tsitsipas (R) pictured with Mattia Bllucci at the 2025 ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam - Image Source: Getty

Stefanos Tsitsipas called for a medical timeout to assess his foot after just the opening game of the match. However, he assured that he was acquainted with the issue while talking to the media after his defeat.

"No, not really (I didn’t struggle a lot with my foot)," he said. "It was alright."

"But I had pain during practice. It’s something that I’ve had before; it’s nothing new to me. But I was just exhausted, honestly. That played a big role today," Stefanos Tsitsipas continued.

Bellucci has been enjoying a breakout week in Rotterdam. After crushing two Dutch players (Thijs Boogaard and Gijs Brouwer) in the qualifiers, the 23-year-old Italian conquered yet another local (Mees Rottgering) in the opening round to set up a clash with former champion Daniil Medvedev.

Against the Russian, Bellucci, ranked No. 92, let slip a match point in the second set but continued his aggression in the decider to clinch a 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 win. About the Italian’s form, Stefanos Tsitsipas said:

"I was impressed, obviously, with how well he played before (against Medvedev). But today he did some good things on court; got me a little bit surprised at certain moments of the match. He’s very good; he’s going to be very good in the future. Congrats to him."

Following his victory over the former World No. 3, Mattia Bellucci faces yet another top 10 player, 2024 finalist Alex de Minaur, for a spot in the final on Saturday.