Greek puzzle

How can we trust Stefanos?

My hypothesis is that the Greek has still managed to pull out a few good matches on hard court because he excels in short rallies, but I have many more doubts about him on clay, especially on heavy clay. Why? Because on clay you have to build your points much more, it’s often strategic, and the battle is even more mental and physical. For those reasons, I don’t really believe in Stefanos anymore. I hope I’m wrong, but apart from tournaments like Madrid, Gstaad or Kitzbuhel, I don’t have much hope this year. And I’m saying that even though slightly slow clay was what suited him best during his peak period.

As for Fabian, he’s coming back to a tournament he enjoyed last season. In his case, I’m sure these conditions suit him very well, especially given his feel for the ball and his constant desire to dictate play.

By the way, their match in Cincinnati last year saw Tsitsi come out on top because the Greek’s aggressiveness outweighed that of the Hungarian. But the battle for territory turns into a battle of touch and intelligent point construction here in Munich, not to mention the crucial mental management.