Tsitsipas Says ‘Focus and Relaxation’ Key to Improved Serve after Win over Thiem

Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece returns the ball against Dominic Thiem of Austria during their match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, April 29, 2023. (AP)
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece returns the ball against Dominic Thiem of Austria during their match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, April 29, 2023. (AP)
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Tsitsipas Says ‘Focus and Relaxation’ Key to Improved Serve after Win over Thiem

Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece returns the ball against Dominic Thiem of Austria during their match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, April 29, 2023. (AP)
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece returns the ball against Dominic Thiem of Austria during their match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, April 29, 2023. (AP)

World number five Stefanos Tsitsipas landed 39 straight first serves en route to claiming a 3-6 6-1 7-6(5) comeback win over Dominic Thiem at the Madrid Open, with the Greek crediting his focus and relaxation for his near-perfect serving performance.

Tsitsipas looked in danger of falling in his first match of the tournament on Saturday, but he found a way back into it by dominating the second set and then clinching the tie-break in the decider.

The 24-year-old ended with a first serve percentage of 79%, significantly higher than the 57% he managed in his straight sets defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in last week's Barcelona Open final.

"That's fantastic, 39 is a lot," Tsitsipas said of his streak.

"That's a positive mark for me. I think I just owe it all to fluidity and just being relaxed on my serve... I think it's just pure relaxation and focus."

Tsitsipas also praised former US Open champion Thiem for turning the two-hour, 19-minute encounter into a physically demanding contest.

"I'm in a way happy that we were able to show that kind of tennis... Today sort of showed what kind of intensity two guys that play single-hand backhands can bring to tennis," Tsitsipas said.

"I'm happy I got away with a win. Things weren't easy at the very end but I just kept fighting... The third set it was just pure fight. He's not someone that's going to give up and he hates even giving the slightest to you in terms of free points."

Tsitsipas will next meet Argentine Sebastian Baez, who beat American Marcos Giron 3-6 6-3 6-4.



Joao Pedro Brace Sends Chelsea into Club World Cup Final

Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Semi-final - Fluminense v Chelsea - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, US - July 8, 2025 Chelsea's Joao Pedro scores their second goal. (Pool via Reuters)
Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Semi-final - Fluminense v Chelsea - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, US - July 8, 2025 Chelsea's Joao Pedro scores their second goal. (Pool via Reuters)
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Joao Pedro Brace Sends Chelsea into Club World Cup Final

Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Semi-final - Fluminense v Chelsea - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, US - July 8, 2025 Chelsea's Joao Pedro scores their second goal. (Pool via Reuters)
Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Semi-final - Fluminense v Chelsea - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, US - July 8, 2025 Chelsea's Joao Pedro scores their second goal. (Pool via Reuters)

Joao Pedro marked his first Chelsea start in spectacular fashion on Tuesday, scoring twice to fire the Premier League side into the Club World Cup final with a 2-0 victory over his boyhood club Fluminense.

The 23-year-old Brazilian forward, signed from Brighton & Hove Albion for 60 million pounds ($81.5 million) last week, curled home a fabulous strike in the 18th minute before sealing the win with a brilliant finish following a counter-attack early in the second half.

Chelsea will face Real Madrid or Paris St Germain, who meet in the second semi-final on Wednesday, in Sunday's final.

"I’m pleased about everything, to be honest. It's a great achievement," Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca told DAZN.

"It's been a fantastic season. To finish top four in the Premier League, win the Conference League title, now in the final in the Club World Cup. We are so, so, so happy.

"We knew with Joao Pedro that we have a player that is able to do what he has just done."

The semi-final took place in brutal conditions in New Jersey, with an afternoon kickoff in scorching heat that prompted a National Weather Service warning. Temperatures soared past 35 degrees Celsius with over 54% humidity.

Chelsea started the game in control against a Fluminense side who adopted a conservative approach, with a deep five-men defense, inviting their rivals to hold possession and trying to counter attack.

The English side struggled to find their way through against Fluminense’s defensive block, but they broke the deadlock in the 18th minute thanks to Joao Pedro's shot from the edge of the box into the top corner of the net.

The Brazilian refused to celebrate his goal, a gesture of respect for Fluminense, where he came through the academy before making his professional debut as a 17-year-old. His journey took him to Watford in 2019 and Brighton in 2023 before joining Chelsea.

Fluminense, who stunned Champions League runners-up Inter Milan in the last 16 and Al-Hilal in the quarter-finals, nearly equalized when Hercules burst unmarked into the box following a slick one-two with German Cano, only for Marc Cucurella's goalline clearance to preserve Chelsea's lead.

The Brazilian side thought they had earned a lifeline when referee Francois Letexier awarded a penalty for Trevoh Chalobah's handball, but VAR overturned the decision.

Just as Fluminense appeared to be building momentum in the second half, Pedro delivered the knockout blow in the 56th minute, taking a fine pass by Enzo Fernandez before dribbling past Ignacio and smashing in an unstoppable shot off the underside of the crossbar.