World No.6 Stefanos Tsitsipas has said he felt ‘very dark’ living within a various player bubbles on the Tour this season as he opened up about the impact it has had on him.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic various tournaments have implemented their own ‘bubble’ where players are restricted as to where they can go. For example at the ATP Finals players must stay at their hotel when they are not playing. They are also not allowed to walk between the two venues despite there being less than 1000 meters separating them. Organisers believe this approach, along with regular testing, minimises the risk of a potential outbreak.
“It gets tiring after a while. Think of yourself sitting in a hotel room waiting for your match all day long, not having the ability to go anywhere,” said Tsitsipas.
“Of course they try to entertain you with some things they put in the players lobby or the players’ lounge. But people need space. It’s difficult to be in your hotel, room service all day long.”
The 22-year-old isn’t the first player to speak out about the difficulties of living within such an environment. Dominic Thiem said earlier this week that it was ‘pretty rough’ and he is currently only able to get a few minutes of fresh air each day.
Tsitsipas says coping with bubble life was a mental challenge for him and he believes others players have also experienced the same problems. However, for the foreseeable future such systems look to be in place on the Tour until at least the first part of 2021. Tennis Australia has already confirmed that they will be implementing a ‘bio-secure bubble’ with plans still to be finalised. Furthermore, players will also have to quarantine for 14 days when arriving.
“To me it feels very, very dark, and honestly, I’m not a person who sees the dark side of things,” Tsitsipas commented on the bubble system.
“This whole thing was very difficult to handle. I’m very happy that I didn’t break down, and I’m sure if you ask other players they are going to respond the same way.’
“Technology obviously helps us connect easier than ever. We all know that. I think I’m grateful that I’m able to be with the people that I love every single day by giving them a call or FaceTiming them.”
Tsitsipas’ season officially ended on Thursday after he was knocked out of the ATP Finals by Rafael Nadal in three sets. He has achieved a win-loss record of 29-14 with the only title he won being at the Open 13 in Marseille. Although he has reached the final of two ATP 500 events in Dubai and Hamburg, as well as the semi-finals of the French Open.
“2020 was a very, I would say, unfulfilling year simply because of the situation that we had to face,” he reflected.
“I had some good results. Some bad losses. Some new things that happened to me that I hadn’t faced in the past. Some really annoying things and some beautiful things, as well.’
“I will try and forget the negatives, because who needs negativity in this world? Just looking at the bright side of it. Trying to get to the end of the tunnel and see something better in the near future.”
The two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist is the youngest player currently in the top 10 on the ATP Tour.
