After the tennis, the athletes from the successful men’s national team that defeated Ecuador in the Davis Cup engaged in verbal ping-pong, with the cheerful Stefanos Tsitsipas and Aristoteles Thanos as protagonists, causing laughter in the press room.

Aristotelis Thanos was asked by a foreign journalist about his victory and if it was ultimately the key to promotion. The athlete who replaced Pervolaraki pointed out: “I feel great that I won, but even if I hadn’t, we might have won the tie. It wasn’t the absolute key to victory. Stefanos took two matches. It was a good win. Especially for me because I hadn’t competed in the last nine months. I’m proud to have represented my country and to have won that crucial game, but it wasn’t the absolute key.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas acted surprised after his teammate’s last suggestion. He smiled, had a great time and started the performance with a question – an intervention.

• Stephanos: “It was not;”
• Aristotle (smiling): “It was not”.
• Stefanos (stricter): “It was not;”
• Aristotle (persistently): “It was not”.
• Stefanos (syllabic and this time even stricter): “It was not;”
• Aristotle: “It was not. Do you think it was?”
• Stephanos: “Oh my god! You’re crazy. It was the biggest key in the whole tie. If it wasn’t for it, we’d still be out there playing tennis. You would be playing now! It would come back to you. (Laughter)”
• Aristotle: “Well, I said it wasn’t the absolute key.”

Thanks to the viewers and what needs improvement

Earlier, Stefanos Tsitsipas first stressed that he had found his rhythm in both his first Davis Cup match and his second in the second set, noting that the national team was his priority despite his busy schedule, while also declaring, what corrections are needed to be done so that Greece can continue to improve on an organizational level. “And now that I’ve been here, I haven’t been at 100 per cent, but it means a lot to me that I have the opportunity to be with the national team for a week. Regardless of how I felt, being here was a priority for me.

I only had two days off after the Australian Open and I jumped right into training. My body wasn’t at its best. But I managed with my mental strength to find the balance and pace that I had in Australia. It wasn’t easy because there were some things I didn’t expect.

The spectators were impeccable. I thought it was great that they came and supported us. They filled such a large stadium almost to capacity. There were some things I wasn’t happy about and are not common on the ATP Tour. I want to mention them because they are important for the development of sport in the country. That was two. The lights were of poor quality and annoyed me (he often rubbed his eyes) and I’m sure they annoyed my opponents as well. The second was the balls that didn’t match the specific surface and conditions. Those unique things that weren’t in the state they were supposed to be.”

He admitted he didn’t like his competitive presence in OAKA. “The truth is that I haven’t played my best tennis in these two days. I’ve been playing at such a mediocre level for a long time. I wasn’t happy with the quality I put on the pitch yesterday and today. Especially today in the 1st sentence. On the other hand, I’m glad I won that game and allowed the team to qualify. At the end of the day, that’s what matters most.”

“Being with my teammates and my own people enhances my tennis on tour.

He smiled when asked if Greece could become the Davis Cup’s Morocco and drive a wedge in traditional powers like the African team did at the World Cup.

“It would be nice. Right now we’re the underdogs in what we do. We play without fear. We don’t think about it too much, we just play. We’re a very tight-knit group and we’re all relatively young. We have two meetings left to see where we really stand. The next countries we will face do not have a long tradition in tennis. As the years go by and with the continuous appearances in Davis Cup, all the kids will learn more and I am also willing to help and get help from the team.

He then spoke about what living with his teammates offers him while analyzing his mental preparation and game plan. “The biggest mistake a top player can make is thinking that it will always be like that, going through all the tournaments. Being cocky will get you nowhere. Confidence is important for your tennis development, but if you overdo it, it can it hurt you. You have to stay grounded, keep working and expanding your game. That’s the key to success.

I know what I can achieve, I’ve proven it. Roland Garros remains one of my favorite Grand Slams, Melbourne has a different vibe with its crowd. Roland Garros is my surface, I grew up with clay and I like playing on it. I enjoy that it’s like a chess game. I’m looking forward to the clay court season, but also to the big US tournaments. That’s what I’ll focus on so I can add points I didn’t have and make Greece proud. I want to do it for my country. I also have to say that the Davis Cup tie in particular gives me the peace of mind I need for the future. Being with my teammates, my own people, enhances my tennis on the Tour.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas smiled when asked about the love he receives from young children, particularly those who have been with OAKA and kept calling his name: “It is one of the best feelings to get young children interested in your sport. It gives me great pleasure to see their faces and to understand that they are learning from all of this. I didn’t have the opportunity to see tennis at such a high level in Athens at her age. It’s very important that we brought such a draw to such a big stage. Children, but also young people aged 14-16 who want to play tennis more seriously, can hope. This encourages them to keep working hard to achieve their goals.”

The coach, Dimitris Hatzinikolaou, spoke about Stefanos Sakellaridis’ absence and stressed that he is sticking to his plans while also addressing the team’s future. “Our first goal when we took over in 2019 was promotion to World Group I. Now we are making a new plan for World Group I. The team has its core and the players are constantly improving. Alexandros Skorilas, Aristotelis Thanos and Petros Tsitsipas left me speechless with their mental and sporting progress. We know the level of Stefanos. I think we have continuity and with a good draw we can take the next step.

Sakellaridis was and is now in our plans. I contacted him then tried to contact his father who manages his tour. They didn’t contact me, so I didn’t have a chance to call him or talk about him joining the Davis team. The door of the team is open for Stefanos and whenever he wants he can come, approach us, talk to us and become part of the team.”