Stefanos Tsitsipas might now be in the record books for playing four of the ATP's tallest players in consecutive matches. In his semifinal run at the Western & Southern Open, he cut down Kevin Anderson (6-foot-8), John Isner (6-foot-10) and Reilly Opelka (6-foot-11) before falling to the 6-foot-5 Milos Raonic in Friday's semifinals.
The No. 4-seeded Greek expects more giant-killings in this unique 2020 US Open, in the form of upsets.
"I think it's going to be challenging for most players, especially for the top players, which are used to having a big fan base, being surrounding by fans cheering their name, having people that love them when they play," he shared at a recent press conference. "I think it's going to create a more equal space for any player. I think, yeah, again, it is going to be challenging. I think it benefits a bit the lower-ranked players."
Though Tsitsipas has never played in Arthur Ashe Stadium, he has certainly become accustomed to the support of a dedicated and growing fan base. But Raonic has his number either way, with the Canadian also knocking the 22-year-old out of the 2020 Australian Open in straight sets in their only other meeting.
While Friday's semifinal loss provided Tsitsipas an additional day of rest before his Monday afternoon US Open meeting with Albert Ramos Vinolas, the Greek did not take that as a silver lining.
"I don't really care about getting much rest right now. I wasn't able to play for so long, so rest for me is the very, at the very last, end of my head," he said following the loss. "I'm enjoying being out on the court. I'm enjoying competing. Mentally I don't feel like I'm drowned. I feel good. I feel like, obviously, I can get better. In the next tournament, I can do better. I still have that sharpness and motivation in my everyday routines.
"I really haven't done, in the last couple of years, well in New York, and I would love to this year. It's one of my favorite cities, and I would love to play some good tennis, and I have good memories from here."
Tsitsipas has never been past Round 2 at the US Open, with defeats to Daniil Medvedev in the 2018 second round and Andrey Rublev in his 2019 opener. But as the No. 4 seed this year, he has a prime opportunity to make amends.
He could potentially face Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, and there is also the intriguing possibility of a quarterfinal showdown against No. 5 seed Alex Zverev, who shed his reputation as a Grand Slam underachiever with a semifinal run at this year's Australian Open.
But first, let's see if these superstars can avoid the upsets that Tsitsipas predicted.
"It is going to be an interesting US Open, I tell you that," he added. "Again, it's something different. I think we're going to see quite a few surprises this year."
