Stefanos Tsitsipas and world No 2 Daniil Medvedev will fancy their chances of reaching this year's French Open final with Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the opposite half of the draw
Sunday 30 May 2021 11:25, UK
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev are happy to see tennis 'Big Three' in the opposite half of the draw for this year's French Open as they bid for a maiden Grand Slam title.
Greek star Tsitsipas and Medvedev are both in the bottom half of the draw at Roland Garros, as are US Open champion and two-time former French Open finalist Dominic Thiem and US Open finalist Alexander Zverev.
Thiem is the man with the clay-court pedigree but the Austrian has been struggling for form this season and took a six-week break in March and April to step away from the demands of the tour and bubble life.
Thiem's inconsistency could open the way for Tsitsipas, who has already won 33 matches this year to put him top of the annual standings, collecting a first Masters title in Monte Carlo and another trophy in Lyon last week.
The 22-year-old has suffered agonising losses to Rafael Nadal in Barcelona and Novak Djokovic in Rome, while he defeated the Spaniard from two sets down to reach a second successive Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open in February.
"Consistency has been always at the top of my priorities as a player, and it has been difficult to find that kind of secret recipe where you get all the consistency and you can play consistently week by week," said Tsitsipas.
"But I think it's something you build up with confidence, with experience, and eventually you just find the pattern. You find the way it works for you.
"I'm quite happy with the way I'm progressing, the way I'm generating points, the way I'm able to face the guys at the top of the rankings. And so far I'm at the top of the race to Turin. It feels great to be there and I wish for plenty more to come."
Tsitsipas said his goal is to be the surprise of the tournament but it would not be a shock at all if he reached a first Grand Slam final, especially given Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer are all in the opposite half of the draw.
"Finally, for once," said the Greek with a smile.
Medvedev's elevation above Nadal to world No 2 means he is seeded ahead of the 13-time champion despite never having won a match at Roland Garros.
The Russian, who reached his second Slam final in Melbourne, has made no secret of his dislike of clay but so far has found conditions in Paris to his liking.
"If they would have some special rules, for sure I would be seeded less high, but, if we take the rankings, I'm number two so I have to be seeded number two," said Medvedev, who has a crowd-pleasing first-round draw against the unpredictable Alexander Bublik.
"It helps me. Even if we don't talk about me making it to the semis yet, I feel really great with the conditions here and I feel like I can play (like I do) on hard courts, and that's the most important thing."
Don't forget to follow us on skysports.com/tennis, our Twitter account @skysportstennis & Sky Sports - on the go! Available to download now on - iPhone & iPad and Android
