Tsitsipas, the rebirth in Dubai from the Italian friend-coach: “The Slam is near”

First Cincinnati, then the Us Open, the accusations of impropriety for his very long toilet breaks (which led the ATP to review the rules) and finally the tears of Turin, withdrawn from the ATP Finals for the elbow problem that tormented him. The downward spiral of Stefanos Tsitsipas seemed to have no end and the surgery on his right elbow suffered in Switzerland seemed to have closed the discussion on the Australian season. But instead … “The doctor who operated on me said he didn’t see me playing the Australian Open, now I hope he’s looking at me and sees that he was wrong.” So Stefanos said after the clear, ruthless victory against Jannik Sinner. Until now, perhaps, no one had thought of the Greek as a favorite to conquer the title, especially after the intervention on such a delicate joint. Instead, the off-season weeks in Dubai have put it back on track.

Davide Giusti is an Italian coach who directs the tennis academy of JA The resort, in the Emirate. He, of Stefanos, is a great friend as well as accompanying him in the winter training sessions and in December, he was able to personally witness the physical and mental rebirth of the Greek champion: “In Turin he was in great difficulty – says Giusti – the choice to undergo surgery was But he always believed in it, he wanted to play in Australia and when he was here in Dubai he started from scratch “.

Rebirth

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In December, however, the situation was still complicated: “He started again with soft balls – he says – and then after a few days he tried playing ones. But he was very careful, he was afraid of getting hurt and when we played in training his ball was much less heavy “. But more than training on the pitch, it was the family that put him back on track. That same, large family that is sometimes too cumbersome: “He needed to find each other again, that’s how it was. Once the health problems were solved, he also reconnected with the people around him. And he regained confidence and ability to adapt. Now not. he is more afraid, and it shows. This is his big chance “.

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