"I guess karma hit me": Stefanos Tsitsipas blames himself for taking potential Australian Open run for granted after defeat

Stefanos Tsitsipas simply said karma hit me as he was well beaten 7-5, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in favour of the rising American, Alex Michelsen at the Australian Open. One of the first big names to fall, Tsitsipas decided to withdraw from doubles with his brother Petros for the simple reason that he thought he'd be going deep in the singles.

But it is a decision that in the goodness of time he regrets after being dumped out by Michelsen in the end. He called the situation ironic and blamed himself.

“It’s quite ironic. My whole [idea] was to try to go deep into the Australian Open. I knew the first thing I had to consider was not playing doubles,” Tsitsipas said. “I guess karma hit me. I was not able to deliver or play the way I was hoping to at this year's event. The whole purpose was just to save up on some energy and be fresher hopefully in the deeper draw of the tournament.”

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“I've been quite well-established in the last couple of years, and I have seen the game, and I have seen all variations of games around the Tour. I've done the Tour over and over again, the same circle of tournaments and events. I've experienced what it is to be on the ATP Tour. I feel like there was a different energy, a different dynamic back then.

But despite losing out he said he sees himself as a better player than he was back when he was beating Roger Federer in Melbourne.

“I would actually say that I'm a better player now than I was back then. So even though I'm losing now and I'm not at my best, I feel like I'm much better as a player than back then where I felt like my shots were not as heavy in terms of topspin. I was playing much more flat and much more through the court.”

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