By Erik Gudris | Monday, July 29, 2019
Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas had fun and learned more about each other in an entertaining D.C. doubles match.
Photo credit: @CitiOpen
The marquee doubles pairing of Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas certainly raised plenty of eyebrows when it was announced as part of the Citi Open line up in Washington D.C.
And while the team ended up losing, they certainly entertained the crowd while learning more about each other.
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Both of Greek descent, each player took positives from the loss despite admitting their very different approaches to the game.
"I take double losses quite hard, said Kyrgios. "But I really enjoyed playing with Stef. For me to step out there with one of the best singles players in the world against one of the best doubles teams in the world was great. It was a lot of fun. I thought we played really well."
Kyrgios and Tsitsipas had the tough task of taking on in the first round top seeds and recent Wimbledon champions Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah. The mixture of steady play from the dedicated team versus the showtime style of the two star singles players provided plenty of thrills in both the first and second sets.
After splitting sets, Cabal and Farah took hold of an early mini break in the match tie break. They held on to win 6-3, 3-6, 10-5.
Once the fun was over for Kyrgios and Tsitsipas, each was asked what they learned from each other.
Kyrgios conceded earlier in the day he thought he would just have a light hit with Tsitsipas who is also the top singles seed in the men's draw.
Instead it turned out to be over an hour of hitting with the Greek star and his father. Such an intense workout was not something Kyrgios was used to. But having hit with Tsitsipas earlier in his career, Kyrgios knew he would be destined for big things.
"He's only just begun," Kygios said. "Hopefully he doesn't make the same mistakes I have. If he keeps his head down, he can do some special things."
For Tsitsipas, he admitted to marveling at Kyrgios' huge serve, which often clocked in at over 133 MPH during the match. But he also found some of Kyrgios' well known tricks, including his behind the legs shots, rather puzzling.
"The talent is there...," Tsitsipas started when asked about Kyrgios.
That's when Kyrgios jumped in and said, "I'm crazy.", which drew a laugh from everyone.
Tsitsipas continued, "Very fun, as I got to know him a little bit more. I really enjoy the company. It would be lovely to play again. I really liked the energy."
While they mull over possibly playing doubles again, both men will turn their attention to the singles draw.
Tsitsipas will take on Tommy Paul. Kyrgios is scheduled to face Thai-Son Kwiatkowski.