Is he ready?

The Greek Tsitsipas is finding conditions that suit him better again in Rome. He comes in in fairly good shape, since he got back to stringing wins together in Madrid, with a very tough first match in particular and a final match against Ruud in which he had several match points. We’re looking at a mix of confidence gained, quite a bit of hope, and a prideful reaction after this round of 16 that he could very well have won. On the other side of the net, the Czech is still a bit bipolar. It’s no surprise to see him take time to find his balance in matches and to play the loose, relaxed tennis he needs in order to take the ball as early as he wants. The weather conditions add to a match-up that will probably be a battle for territory. But if the match is indeed played on Wednesday, we’ll likely have a stormy, rainy day, which will either benefit the Czech’s movement and defense, or the Greek, who won’t be hitting any backhands above shoulder height and will have much more time to set up his forehand attacks. So I understand why the Greek is the favorite here. But be careful not to back him at any price.