Stef-analyst breaks down Rafa, racquet switch & conditioner

Stefanos Tsitsipas rarely disappoints when giving an interview, and his chat with Blair Henley in "Quarantine Chronicles" this week is no exception.

The 2019 ATP Finals champion has trained with Mikael Ymer when he's been permitted to leave his Melbourne hotel room the past two weeks. While inside for 19 hours a day, Tsitsipas has kept himself occupied by Vlogging, self-reflecting on nostalgic moments and FaceTiming with his agent.

Here's a rundown of the Greek's notable responses to Henley's hard-hitting questions.

The world No. 6 tried modifying his racquet composition at one point last year, but is back to the frame he grew up with:

“It is very difficult to introduce change. I did play at the hard court swing in the U.S. and one or two tournaments on clay with the heavier racquet but then I realized it’s probably not as good as I thought.”

A future off-court collab with Pablo Cuevas—the hard quarantine content king—to come?

“I give him thumbs up. I told him Pablo, you’re crushing the Instagram stories. I suggested that he be in one of my vlogs because he’s a character.”

From introvert to extrovert:

“I was very introverted maybe a few years ago. Then with all the success that came, the wins, breaking into the Top 10 and having to get used to being around people all the time unveil[ed] my personality, which was a great thing that happened. I was able to show people who I was as a person. I think that enabled a new phase in my life, which brought out a more extroverted version of myself.”

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They say you don’t realize what you’re missing until it’s gone:

“Time passes really quick when you’re only given five hours. And you don’t really get to realize that until it’s time to leave. You’re like, ‘wow. Time just disappears.’”

Stef-analyst brings the insight on facing Rafael Nadal:

“He’s someone who doesn’t accept to give up. He never fails to deliver. Even on his worst days, he always his fighting spirit and ways to go around it. I think he takes very good advantage of his left hands… uses that to the max.”

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Do NOT try this at home, Tsitsipas insists:

“I have a friend who recommended I used conditioner on my hair half the days of the week, which means three or four times a week, and the rest I shampoo my hair as well, otherwise it becomes too moist and too oily I think. Don’t use only conditioner, that was just a joke.”

And the quote of the day is…

“A fool sleeps when he has to. A wiseman sleeps when he can.”