"I’ve never felt anything like that on a clay court": Stefanos Tsitsipas lambasts court condition at Madrid Open

Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas has lambasted the court conditions during the Madrid Open. The 26-year-old, who is often regarded as one of the most talented players currently playing on the tour, cemented his spot in the round of 32 of the competition after beating Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Tsitsipas criticised the playing conditions. The Athens-born star stated that he felt the court was like an ‘ice rink’. He also stated that it was not a normal clay court.

“It’s insane having to play like this. You have better conditions in Hammamet than here, you know?,” he said. “I play clay tournaments all year. But this… I haven’t seen this in Rome, I haven’t seen this in Monte-Carlo, never. This is the first time I have experienced it in two or three years. Can you at least tell me something about this? It’s crazy, it’s really weird. The court was unplayable today; it felt like an ice rink when I tried to slide. I’ve never felt anything like that on a clay court. It’s a different type of clay than what’s usually used; I have a lot of experience on this surface, and it’s frustrating to play like that.”

Tsitsipas is now set to face Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the round of 32. The 23-year-old defeated Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-2. It will be the seventh meeting between the two players in professional tennis. In the previous six meetings, Tsitsipas has a clear advantage as he has won on five occasions and suffered just one defeat. Interestingly, that defeat came in the last meeting between the two players, which was in the quarterfinal of the Monte-Carlo Masters earlier this month, where the Italian came out on top with a score of 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.