'Immature' Stefanos Tsitsipas slumps to sad seven year low with Roland-Garros loss to unheralded Italian
Updated . First published
Stefanos Tsitsipas berated himself for "immaturity" as the Greek hero slumped to a sad seven year low at Roland-Garros on Thursday (AEST).
The two-time grand slam finalist went out in the second round, losing 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 to unseeded Matteo Gigante for his earliest exit at Roland-Garros since 2018.
It also means the 26-year-old will now slip outside of the world's top 20 rankings for the first time since 2018.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece reacts against Matteo Gigante of Italy. Getty
The big-serving star reached the French Open final in 2021, losing in five sets to Novak Djokovic after winning the first two sets.
He got into the quarter-finals in Paris last year and the year before, and also made the semi-finals at Roland-Garros in 2020, where he lost to Djokovic.
"I expected bigger things from myself these two weeks," Tsitsipas said.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece applauds fans as he walks off court after his defeat to Matteo Gigante of Italy. Getty
"I seemed to be playing immature sometimes during the match."
Tsitsipas berated himself for gifting Gigante some points.
The 20th seed hit 49 unforced errors on Court Simonne-Mathieu.
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece reacts against Matteo Gigante of Italy. Getty
"I wasn't fully present in the moment," he said.
"So I would describe that as immaturity, not knowing how to handle those situations."
Tsitsipas was troubled throughout by the No.167-ranked Gigante's drop shot and athleticism.
Gigante sealed the victory with an ace, and the unheralded Italian received a friendly hug at the net from Tsitsipas.
"I have to give credit to my opponent, he played incredible tennis," Tsitsipas said.
"He handled the pressure moments very well."
Gigante has not won a title on the ATP tour and he had never previously been beyond the first round at a major tournament.
"For sure was my biggest win," he said.
It was a second straight major with an early loss against an unseeded player for Tsitsipas - the 2023 Australian Open runner-up - following his first round defeat to Alex Michelsen at the Australian Open earlier this year.
"I just need to use my experience a little bit more wisely," Tsitsipas said.
The 23-year-old Gigante now faces 13th seeded American Ben Shelton in the third round.
