Tsitsipas Looks Ahead To Tough Estoril Field

Stefanos Tsitsipas has a habit of going deep in draws, but the top seed will have his work cut out for him if he hopes to do that once again at the Millennium Estoril Open.

The Greek star reached the semi-finals last year in his maiden trip to Portugal. With all eight seeds inside the Top 30 of the ATP Rankings, Tsitsipas knows he’ll need to be ready from the first ball.

“It’s a very strong [ATP] 250 [event], but that’s what makes it so special and an event that everyone wants to win. For me, it’s an extra motivation. Competing against all of these guys will only make you better,” said Tsitsipas during the pre-tournament player party. “I have very nice memories from this place. I got a lot of support last year, really nice vibes and really nice energy coming from the crowd and the city itself.”

The champion and runner-up at this year's Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Fabio Fognini and Dusan Lajovic, headline as the second seed and fifth seed, respectively. Defending champion and local favourite Joao Sousa also features in the draw, along with 2017 champion Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain. The intriguing field is already generating plenty of buzz.

“We’ve got some very good clay-courters in good form, so it’s an exciting place to play tennis,” said John Millman of Australia. “A lot of people came out for the qualifying, which is always a good sign for strong crowds for the rest of the week.”

The relaxed atmosphere and picturesque scenery have made Estoril a priority stop for the players competing this week, with #NextGenATP Aussie and sixth seed Alex de Minaur raving over the “incredible views from the hotel and coastline.” Sousa is competing in Estoril for the fourth consecutive year and believes the tournament has gotten better with each edition.

“It’s going to be a great tournament,” said Sousa. “There are a lot of good players and the organisation is making a big effort to have one of the best tournaments in the world here.”