Stefanos Tsitsipas said he was so tired after his Madrid Open final loss to Novak Djokovic that his “mind wasn’t working”.
The 20-year-old Greek was brushed aside 6-3, 6-4 in Sunday’s final against the world number one, less than 24 hours after needing three gruelling sets to defeat five-time champion Rafael Nadal in Saturday’s semi-finals.
“I feel happy with my performance, but at the same time, I feel empty,” said Tsitsipas. “Empty – not disappointment.
“I am just so tired right now that my mind is not working, I’m not thinking of anything right now.”
Tsitsipas will have little time to recharge his batteries as he heads for the Italian Open in Rome and a match against Italian qualifier Jannik Sinner.
“He [Djokovic] deserved the victory, he played unbelievable. I couldn’t do much,” added Tsitsipas.
“Physically I was not there, my legs were not coping with my mind. I could feel the fatigue and this soreness, not just in my legs, but everywhere in my body.
“He played quite smart, moving me around the court.
“He knew I had a tough match last night, so he took advantage of that by making me run and suffer – I just didn’t have solutions.”