Chris OddoSeptember 4, 20262 minute read

Better late than never for Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The Greek reached the fourth round of the US Open for the first time on Saturday, finally breaking through in New York at a Grand Slam where success has proved surprisingly elusive.

He defeated Jiri Lehecka on Friday in New York, 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-1.

Reunited with Patrick Mouratoglou after parting ways with his father as coach in June, Tsitsipas is also playing with a different mindset. He struggled with a back injury last year, and even when healthy, he couldn’t seem to escape a cycle of worry and expectation.

“When you’re high-ranked and, you know, you’re seeded in this tournament, not just seeded, but one of the high seededs in a big Grand Slam like that, it kind of has the tendency to feel a little bit different when you step out on the court,” Tsitsipas said.

Now, he is trying to let some of that go.

“There isn’t much for me to be worried about, I feel like, because I’m just playing and enjoying. If things go well, things go well.”

Tsitsipas says part of that shift comes from embracing an ancient Greek philosophy: preparing himself mentally for the worst before stepping into battle.

“I’ve already kind of embraced that there might be really bad scenarios,” he said. “It won’t always be ideal the way I like it, so going into a match with that kind of mindset allows me to view what I’m doing out there slightly different than usually.”

It is a lesson learned over time.

“Before, I’d say too much optimism and too much confidence can also kill your game. I have learned it in different ways throughout my career.”