It was a bizarre quarterfinal match at the French Open between Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas on Tuesday.
Alcaraz outlasted Tsitsipas in straight sets (6-2, 6-1, 7-6), leading many to wonder what was wrong with Tsitsipas. Alcaraz is the number 1 tennis player in the world, but Tsitsipas is at number 5.
A better game was expected even with Alcaraz as a favourite.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece runs to play a forehand during a men’s singles quarterfinal match against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain at the French Open at Roland Garros on June 6, 2023 in Paris. (Andy Cheung/Getty Images)
Tsitsipas has a reason he looked slow on Tuesday.
«One thing I’m going to try to avoid in the future is taking melatonin pills [sleeping pills] and naps before games because it clearly doesn’t seem to be working,» Tsitsipas told reporters, via multiple reports.
The French Open follows the same time frame as the US Open. In that sense, night matches become more common as the pool approaches the final. This is why some players like to cool off with naps before their matches, which we’ve seen well past midnight.
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That appears to have hampered Tsitsipas, who was unable to get to his usual game preparation.
«I had a few late-night sessions. Not too late, but late enough to mess up my sleep schedule, somehow,» Tsitsipas explained.
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in action against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during a singles quarterfinal match at the 2023 French Open at Roland Garros on June 6, 2023 in Paris. (Antonio Borga/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
«Sleep is something very vital, important, and recovery is the most important thing when competing and playing big slams like this.»
However, Tsitsipas did not want to downplay what Alcaraz did on the pitch, calling his performance «excellent.»
«I just hope it never happens again. It sucks,» Tsitsipas said.
With the win, Alcaraz advances to the semifinals to face Novak Djokovic, who is ranked No. 3.
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece during a men’s singles quarterfinal match against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during the French Open at Roland Garros on June 6, 2023 in Paris. (Andy Cheung/Getty Images)
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The game will be played at 8:45 am ET on Friday.