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Stefanos Tsitsipas called Andrey Rublev a player with "few tools" after their winner-takes-all battle at the 2022 ATP Finals on Friday. Rublev beat Tsitsipas 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to proceed to the semifinals, knocking out the Greek player in the process. The Russian has thus made it out of the extremely tough Red Group, along with Novak Djokovic.
After the match, Tsitsipas stated in a press conference that he was the better player against Rublev but did not take his chances. He also claimed that Rublev took advantage of the limited tools at his disposal, much to the anger of fans on social media.
Reflecting on the match during his press conference after Friday night's loss in Turin, Tsitsipas said:
"I felt like the better player. I felt like I could do more with the ball today. I felt like I could just be much more creative...He prevailed with the few tools that he has, he was able to really take advantage of them and win today."
This was Rublev's fifth win in 11 tour-level matches against Tsitsipas. He had defeated the Greek star at the round-robin stage of the ATP Finals last season too, as also in the first round of the 2019 US Open.
Fans reacted swiftly to Tsitsipas' comments, criticizing him for not being gracious in defeat and for belittling his opponent's game.
"Biggest sore loser and most unlikable player on tour, proved it once again," one fan wrote.
"It's quite amusing to me how conceited he is, and this is not the first time he has been this condescending. He called Medvedev "boring and one-dimensional." Well if you really are so much better, you shouldn't be losing to these players let alone doing so 5+ times lol," another fan wrote.
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans to Stefanos Tsitsipas' comments after the loss to Andrey Rublev:
"A bit more consistent with my returns" - Stefanos Tsitsipas on the aspect of his game he would like to improve
Stefanos Tsitsipas also stated that improving his 'return game' is a priority for him during the pre-season ahead of 2023. He is aiming for more consistency in that regard as he believes he can "do more damage" by getting better at his overall return game.
"My goal for the pre-season is going to be perhaps a bit more consistent with my returns, because I think if I'm able to improve on that aspect of my game, I can do more damage," Tsitsipas said in his post-match press-conference, as his season has now officially concluded.
At the ATP Finals, Tsitsipas missed out on a chance to end the season as the World No. 1; he had to win the tournament undefeated to achieve the feat. The 24-year-old is currently in pole position to finish the year inside the top 3, but Casper Ruud, who is in the semifinals of the year-end championship, is a contender for the No. 3 spot too.
