By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday April 15, 2022
Stefanos Tsitsipas has never been shy to put his body on the line on a tennis court.
He’s put on a masterclass in the art of diving over the course of his blossoming career, and the 23-year-old reminded us all of his diving aptitude again on Friday at Monte-Carlo as he pulled a rabbit out of a hat against Diego Schwartzman in the waning moments of his extraordinary 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-4 triumph.
Tsitsipas, who trailed 4-0 in the final set, says he didn’t start to believe he could win the match until after he struck that perfect dive on the penultimate point.
“I have to say I think the very last point probably,” Tsitsipas said, when asked when he realized he could win. “It was very close, extremely close. I don't know. I never really felt anything.
“I guess I was really close in the second set serving for the match. Didn't work out for me. That was probably the moment that I thought I had a big chance of closing it out. But Diego is Diego. I had to be Stefanos in the third set.”