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At the start of his career at Wimbledon, Stefanos Tsitsipas has had a tough start – he bowed out of the first round three of the four times he’s played the event. But now that he has captured his first grass-court title in the 2022 Mallorca Final, Tsitsipas is now coming off fresh and ready to build his momentum on the surface at SW19. 

For the first time since 2018, Tsitsipas passed through the first-round hurdle, winning against qualifier Alexander Ritschard 7-6(1), 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. 

The Greek attributed this to his new shift in mentality.

He spoke with the press before the tournament began.

“For me, it’s a new start here at Wimbledon. I see myself a little bit different in terms of how I perceive this surface in particular.”

“The thing that I hope for this year is just get past the first round, and see where that leads.” 

Last year, Tsitsipas bowed out against Frances Tiafoe in straight sets in the first round at Wimbledon. Now he acknowledges that he didn’t adjust his game.

“Last year was difficult for me. I didn’t play a single match before Wimbledon, on grass. I was trying to play on grass like I did on clay, which was a huge mistake. Technique-wise, tactic-wise, it all fell apart,” Tsitsipas said.

“Looking back to last year, I watched a few videos. You want to analyze as much as possible, get to see your weak points. None of it made sense. I could also tell that from the practice sessions that I had, the friendly matches that I did before, everything seemed to be a bit off.”

The 23-year-old has no problems on the clay and hard courts since he won nine other titles on those surfaces. And now, with his attacking game and one-handed backhand, it looks like Tsitsipas can succeed on grass as well.

“Absolutely, I think I can. I think my tennis is suited for that. I’m a person that likes to work hard. So I see no reason not to get there because I’m capable with my tennis, I’m capable with my abilities as a tennis player. I absolutely think that I can get there one day,” he said. 

Tsitsipas, whose best Wimbledon result is a fourth-round finish in 2018, is set to face No. 76 Jordan Thompson in the second round.