Nadal and Federer managed the daily intensity of tennis perfectly, says Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas has lauded Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer as prime examples of players who possess the knack of handling tennis' day-to-day grind with remarkable ease.

Taylor Fritz ended Tsitsipas' hopes of securing his third consecutive title at the Monte-Carlo Masters as the Greek faltered in their quarterfinal match. Following his defeat, the 24-year-old shifted his focus to the Barcelona Open, an event where he reached the final twice in 2018 and 2021, losing to Nadal on both occasions.

In his pre-tournament press conference, Tsitsipas acknowledged the challenges of managing the daily intensity of tennis and deemed it a complicated sport to pursue. He referred to Nadal and Federer as the best examples of players who have mastered this aspect of the game.

The World No. 5 also recognized that this intensity was made stronger by the tough competition presented by other rivals.

"In my case, I feel that tennis is a really complicated sport to manage the daily intensity, Nadal and Federer are two examples of players who have managed it perfectly. There are a lot of big rivals out there right now," he said.

Tsitsipas named Carlos Alcaraz as one such rival, whose arrival on the scene has further increased the challenge for the Greek in his bid to secure his first-ever Grand Slam title.

"Of course, the arrival of Alcaraz makes this objective a bit more complicated than it already is, but I love that the challenges are difficult. Then he knows better, few things are more satisfying than overcoming a really complicated challenge," he stated.

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Rafael Nadal's absence from Barcelona Open is a "shame," says Carlos Alcaraz

The Spaniards at the 2022 Madrid Open

Ahead of commencing his title defense at the 2023 Barcelona Open, Carlos Alcaraz lamented Rafael Nadal's absence from the tournament. He wished his childhood idol a speedy recovery and expressed hope of seeing him rejoin the action soon.

"I always want to see the best players in each tournament. It's a shame not to be able to enjoy his tennis with all that he has achieved and I wish him a speedy recovery," he said.

The 19-year-old also disclosed his desire to form a rivalry akin to that of the Big 3 with Jannik Sinner.

"I hope to have the same rivalry with Sinner that has existed between the 'Big Three.' With Jannik, we also get along very well off the track," he added.

Alcaraz will get his Barcelona Open campaign started with a Round of 32 clash against Nuno Borges on Tuesday, April 18.