Tsitsipas keen to build ‘legacy’ in Monte-Carlo

If there’s one place on tour that feels like home for Stefanos Tsitsipas, it’s Monte-Carlo.

The Greek star has been dominant in The Principality in recent years, winning three of the last four editions of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. This week, Tsitsipas is determined to continue building his legacy.

“It is a good sensation being here and I enjoy the fact I also live here and it was the first tournament I ever watched tennis,” Tsitsipas said on Media Day in Monte-Carlo. “The classic Nadal-Federer finals that I got to experience were some of the most spectacular matches I have seen. Being a champion here is something that makes me feel really good and I want to try and add to those moments of legacy and build as much as I can in terms of my career.”

A fourth crown would move the sixth seed clear of Ilie Nastase, Bjorn Borg and Thomas Muster as the second-most successful player in Monte-Carlo history, behind only record 11-time winner Nadal.

Last season, Tsitsipas won in Monte-Carlo but failed to match that result during the rest of the European clay swing. The 26-year-old is hoping to improve on that record this year and consistently challenge for titles during the next two months.

“My goal is to maximise during all the clay court tournaments,” Tsitsipas said. “I had a good start here and in Barcelona last year but did not quite get to the point that I wanted with the rest of the tournaments. I did play well at times but there were a few things I did wrong but I have learnt from that.

“I just want to get back into it and try and create a more consistent basis of my results when it comes to clay courts and try and maximise my points. The quarter-finals at Roland Garros last year was a good result but not where I have been used to being. I feel my game has good potential to perform even better.”

Tsitsipas, who won the title on hard courts in Dubai earlier this season, will face Jordan Thompson or Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round and is seeded to meet Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals.