Tsitsipas' love for clay goes a long way back

Stefanos Tsitsipas's style, and his calm, have already drawn comparisons with 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, yet the Greek sensation may in fact have more in common with claycourt master Rafa Nadal.

The sixth seed reached the second round of the French Open with a no-nonsense 6-2 6-2 7-6 (4) victory against German Maximilian Marterer, with few fans to witness the feat as most of the crowd were grabbing lunch in the revamped Roland Garros before Federer made his return on the new court Philippe Chatrier.

Those who skipped the match missed Tsitsipas's ease on the red dirt.

"Learning tennis on clay is very good for your body, for your development. It's a way to learn how to slide, basically learn the basics of tennis," the 20-year-old told reporters.
"Then you can move to hard (courts). That's my personal opinion. I probably practised... I don't...