Tsitsipas sees an Olympic medal if he manages to perform as well as in the third set

Stefanos Tsitsipas struggled to prevail over Belgian Zizou Bergs on Sunday, but he managed to advance to the second round of the Olympic Games, where he will face Briton Evans.

In an interview with the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA), Tsitsipas made his self-criticism. 

The full interview follows:

Q: The game didn't go exactly the way you wanted, but you still managed to prevail over Bergs.

"I was a little desperate. In the first two sets I didn't feel like my true self. Even in the first set that I won, I did not feel like Stefanos who was two months ago here at Roland Garros. I was not my best self. In the third set it was like the game opened up more, as if I managed to understand the game better."

Q: What are your feelings from the premiers, since as you said, we saw two different faces?

"I would say it left me with a bittersweet taste. The dessert came towards the end which felt fantastic. It was the first time I said to myself: Finally. But I am definitely not happy with the previous two sets. I was straining too much, I could feel it."

Q: Do you think the time has come to see you with a medal at the Olympics?

"There are important games ahead. If I am in the right mindset and quality in the match I won't disagree. I have opportunities to achieve something like that. It is, however, too early to give an answer as to whether I will win a medal. As you saw, nervousness held me back a bit. I did not have the power especially when I got inside the zone. My opponent often felt relatively comfortable and that irritated me. I can accomplish much more than that. So if I manage to show the performance of third set in the rest of the games, I feel like I can think about it."