TIME FOR A BIG LEAP
GREEK star Stefanos Tsitsipas deliberately steered clear of revealing his grand slam goals at the start of this year.
One thing the world No.6 was consistent on in pre-Australian Open interviews, including with the Herald Sun, was he wanted to win a “big title” in 2021.
Under Tsitsipas’ own criteria, that included a grand slam, a Masters 1000 or ATP 500 event, none of which he’s claimed yet. Beating Rafael Nadal on clay (again) – the surface he’s the undisputed king on – was another goal he’s placed on his list.
The 2019 Australian Open semi-finalist, recharged from a fourth-round walkover against a wounded Matteo Berrettini, could take a major step towards both of those ambitions on Wednesday night.
Awaiting him is the brilliant Nadal in a Rod Laver Arena date that promises to be one of the best matches of this tournament. A second semi-final at Melbourne Park would be Tsitsipas’ prize if he can beat Nadal for a second time in their eighth meeting.
The 22-year-old should take heart from the fact Nadal unusually has only a 50 per cent record in 12 prior trips to the Australian Open quarterfinals, but he won’t underestimate his superstar rival.
“They don’t call Rafa the most difficult player to beat accidentally. There is something behind it,” Tsitsipas told rolandgarros.com in January.
“For me, personally, he has a very heavy ball and he is just anticipating very well, (with) very good movement on the court as well.
“He spins, his agility on the court is very impressive, and the way he fights, he’s just never going to give up – that makes him very, very difficult.”
Nadal’s one defeat to Tsitsipas came in the Madrid Masters semi-finals in 2019, after which he offered the thenemerging Greek little praise. He went on to beat him in straight sets the following week, then twice more at the year-end ATP Finals in 2019 and 2020.
“Being honest, my feeling is (the result) was more about me tonight,” Nadal said after the Madrid loss to Tsitsipas.
“He is young, he is improving and he has good talent. But I don’t see myself losing that match if I play the same level that I played in Barcelona 2017 final, or in Australia at the beginning of the season.
“That’s my feeling. That’s my truth, maybe it’s not the truth, but that is my feeling.”
Whether the same is true almost two years on will be discovered on Wednesday night.
MEET the second-year Sun who may have the biggest appetite in the AFL.
Patrick Murtagh has been given the nickname ‘Specimen’ by teammates due to his growing frame, that now sits at 106kg and 11 per cent body fat.
The former Queensland decathlon champion has turned heads since stacking on 10kg in the pre-season as he works towards making his dream of playing an AFL game a reality.
So just how has Murtagh become Gold Coast’s own ‘Thor’? By eating as much food in a day as the average person does in a week.
Story page 36.