Stefanos Tsitsipas: 'I was thinking of quitting' in November before elbow surgery
Stefanos Tsitsipas nearly quit playing tennis professionally because the pain in his right elbow was so persistent that it prevented him from enjoying the game.
The Greek tennis star, who ranks fifth in the world, finally had surgery on the elbow in November, after the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.
“I remember being at the ATP Finals a few days before the surgery,” Tsitsipas said, “and I was thinking of quitting. I didn’t think that anybody would be able to help me heal and get back to where I wanted. It was a very difficult moment that I had to go through. I was in a very bad place.”
Tsitsipas is seeded fifth at Indian Wells, and he has a shot to win the biggest tournament of his young career in the California desert.
Following surgery, Tsitsipas was told by his doctor that he would not be able to return to the World Tour until the spring clay court season. That Tsitsipas was able to play at the Australian Open in January, then the ATP Cup prior to arriving this week at the BNP Paribas Open, is a miracle, his doctor told him.
More: BNP Paribas Open: Five-time champion Novak Djokovic withdraws from Indian Wells
“The fact that I was able to go deep in the Australian Open was the best thing that has happened in my career so far,” Tsitsipas said Wednesday, “in regard to a comeback after such a difficult injury that I suffered with for many years on the Tour.”
On handling stress
Defending champion Paula Badosa likes to confront the stress and pressures of being a pro athlete head-on. She spoke openly about how she tries to navigate those shifting emotions.
"If a girl comes up here and says she feels no stress, do not believe her. She is lying," Badosa said Wednesday. "I'm a little bit different, I like to talk about it. I think it's quite normal and when I am nervous I will say it, when I feel pressure, like now, I will say it. So I try to get it a little bit like normal because I think it is normal."
More: Paula Badosa hasn't slowed down since her BNP Paribas Open breakthrough
Wednesday action
American Alison Riske was impressive in taking down fellow American Caty McNally on Wednesday. The 31-year-old from Pittsburgh put away her 20-year-old compatriot 6-0, 6-3. She will move on to face the No. 8 seed Garbine Muguruza on Friday.
American wild card Claire Liu won her match on Wednesday, topping Viktoria Tomova of Bulgaria 7-6, 6-4 to advance. She will face fellow American Coco Gauff on Friday.
A couple other Americans didn't fare as well. Wild card Robin Montgomery dropped the opening match on Stadium Court 6-3, 6-3 to the veteran Kaia Kanepi. Wild card Hailey Baptiste couldn't complete her rally, falling to Ajla Tomljanovic 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open: Stefanos Tsitsipas says 'I was thinking of quitting' in November
