"There was some voodoo stuff going on" - Stefanos Tsitsipas bemoans his 'mental barrier' against Carlos Alcaraz after French Open QF loss

Stefanos Tsitsipas expressed frustration over his 'mental barrier' against Carlos Alcaraz following his defeat in the 2024 French Open quarterfinals. This marked the sixth consecutive loss for the Greek to Alcaraz in their six encounters on the ATP Tour.

Seeded ninth, Tsitsipas kicked off his campaign at Roland Garros by defeating Marton Fucsovics 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-1 in the first round. He defeated Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-4 and Zhizhen Zhang 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 in the second and third rounds respectively. The former World No. 3 then overcame Matteo Arnaldi 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-2 in the fourth to secure his spot in the quarterfinals.

In the last eight, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6 -3, 7-6(3), 6-4 in two hours and 15 minutes to end the World No. 9's campaign and move into the semifinals at the French Open.

During the post-match press conference, Tsitsipas claimed that he has the best "ball quality" on the tour. However, he acknowledged that when he faces Alcaraz, he always struggles due to the powerful shots delivered by the Spaniard.

"I tend to believe that my ball quality is one of the best on the tour, and every time I get to play Carlos [Alcaraz], I feel like he delivers a shot quality that I don't quite get against other opponents, and it just brings me trouble. I feel like his shot is deep and has a lot of topspin to it, and I just haven't been able to come up with something good," Stefanos Tsitsipas said [0:30].

The Greek admitted that the World No. 3 consistently "overpowers" him, presenting a challenge he hasn't encountered in a long time.

"He, in a way, overpowers me, but he is also patient enough to do it in a very constructive way. I haven't felt like this on the court, and I haven't felt against a lot of players like this on the court. I'm just maximizing my game as much as I can, and I'm trying to hang in there, and with him, it feels like regardless of what I do," he added [at 1:10].

Tsitsipas also stated that trying to hit harder against Carlos Alcaraz is not a viable strategy, as he is a very "fast" player who is almost always able to return the shot.

"Hitting harder is not necessarily the option I feel like. He's a fast guy. He tends to get a lot of balls back that other opponents wouldn't otherwise get. He's trouble when you're playing him. You're always going to get a ball extra back, and I've missed a few smashes today and shots that I don't necessarily miss and haven't missed during this tournament," he said [at 1:42].

Stefanos Tsitsipas expressed his frustration at his inability to overcome the mental barrier he faces when playing against Carlos Alcaraz. He described feeling as though there was a "voodoo" on the court, preventing him from executing his shots as he had hoped.

"I just need to get through that mental barrier. I feel like there was some voodoo stuff going on today on the court. I wasn't able to just get the ball where I wanted. It's really unbelievable," he added [at 2:08].

Stefanos Tsitsipas is still competing at French Open 2024 men's doubles event

Stefanos Tsitsipas and Petros Tsitsipas

Despite Stefanos Tsitsipas' singles campaign coming to an end at the 2024 French Open, he is still competing at Roland Garros in the men's doubles event alongside his brother, Petros Tsitsipas.

In their first-round match, they faced the pair of John-Patrick Smith and Denys Molchanov and defeated them with a score of 7-6(9), 6-4. The Tsitsipas brothers then defeated fourth seeds Austin Krajicek and Ivan Dodig with a score of 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the second round. They will face the French pair of Gregoire Jacq and Manuel Guinard in the third round.

In addition to his doubles matches, Stefanos Tsitsipas was also scheduled to compete in mixed doubles with his girlfriend, Paula Badosa. However, they withdrew from the event due to the rainy weather in Paris.