Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 5) — World No. 6 tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas will spearhead Greece’s bid in the so-called world cup of tennis — the Davis Cup.
Tsitsipas will be opening the two-day affair with a singles match against 20-year-old AJ Lim on March 6. But as it turns out, the two are actually familiar foes with Lim having beaten Tsitsipas already in a juniors tournament back in 2016.
“I take my losses very seriously so I definitely remember that one. It’s really nice to be facing again in the Davis Cup. He has a win record over me so I got to take it seriously,” Tsitsipas said
Lim, a multiple-time UAAP MVP, said winning against Tsitsipas in Florida four years ago was unforgettable. But he admits that replicating it today may be a much more daunting task.
“He’s obviously number six in the world and one of the best in the world so going inside the court tomorrow my mindset is just to do my best,” the Filipino ace said.
“Well he’s in shape for sure but I can only maximize the shell court kasi he hasn’t been playing there and it’s a different surface and also maybe the humidity cause it’s different in Europe, it’s cold,” he added.
Stefanos’ brother, Petros, will also compete in the second singles match against Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Jeson Patrombon.
Since arriving on Tuesday, the Greek team has been training to acclimatize to the weather and it admit the weather may still be a challenge.
“It’s really humid here to be honest, very hot as well at the same time so it’s really tough to compete in an indoor facility,” Petros said.
“We haven’t played in this kind of clay court before. In Europe it doesn’t exist so it’s interesting and exciting,” he added.
In the meantime, veterans Ruben Gonzales and Francis Alcantara will be facing Markos Kalovelonis and Petros Tsitsipas in the doubles match on March 7.
Organizers are expecting many spectators to catch not just the games but also to witness the youngest top ten player in action. This is the first time that the Davis Cup is sold out in the Philippines.
The world number six player said he’s been motivated to represent Greece in the best way possible.
“Davis Cup has given a lot to me, it has transformed me into a more team player and made me want to achieve more in a way. I found this quite surprising but it has kind of inspired me more in a way,” Stefanos said.
“I’m really psyched that I get to experience all these things, all these wonderful nice people that i’ve met the last couple of days,” he added.
The Davis Cup world group two playoffs will kick off with the singles match on Friday, followed by the doubles and reverse singles matches on Saturday at the Philippine Columbian Association in Paco, Manila.
Standing in their way in the world group two playoffs is no less than the Philippine team that’s eager to compete with a home court advantage.
WATCH: Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas tries taho, tours Manila ahead of Davis Cup
CNN Correspondent Pauline Verzosa contributed to this report.
