Stefanos Tsitsipas trails Dominic Thiem by just two spots in the rankings, but looks up to the fourth-ranked Austrian as a clay-court inspiration.
Tsitsipas stopped Hugo Dellien 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 7-5 on Court Simonne-Mathieu to progress into the Roland Garros third round for the first time.
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Afterward, the sixth-ranked Greek said fellow one-handed backhand practitioner Thiem is a dirt-ball inspiration because the Austrian made the improbable seem possible.
"Dominic kind of inspired me because he was one of the first one-handers after Federer to beat Nadal on clay," Tsitsipas said. "Cuevas, as well. So these two guys inspired me a lot. I took a lot from him, I think. It's nice to have players like him on the tour where you can just look after and try to take a few things here and there."
A year ago, Thiem topped Tsitsipas in four sets in the Roland Garros second round.
That match, contested on the cozy confines of Court 18, expanded the young Greek's mind about clay-court possibilities as Thiem went on to reach the final.
"I lost to the finalist of the tournament," Tsitsipas said. "He was playing unbelievable, I can tell you that. I played all the guys on clay, but that match, there was a certain moment in the match where he was just crushing it on the court.
"So I learned that human beings are able to play at that level. That was amazing to see."
Seeing is believing: Tsitsipas went on to stun Nadal in the Madrid semifinals earlier this month.
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