Stefanos Tsitsipas insists his toilet row with Andy Murray is in the past but says that he needs to raise his game to give him any chance of beating the Briton on Centre Court.
In terms of rankings, as world No5 Tsitsipas is the clear favourite and has the game to shine on the grass but has habitually struggled on the surface.
Plus, he goes into Thursday’s match having come through a five-set marathon against Dominic Thiem while Murray enjoyed an additional day of rest.
The pair have played just twice before. Murray won their last meeting on grass in Stuttgart last year, with Tsitsipas having won a feisty five-set epic between the duo at the 2021 US Open in which Murray was riled by the length of the Greek’s toilet breaks.
The Briton later vented his frustration on social media, saying that it was quicker for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to get into space than it was for Tsitsipas to take his bathroom break.
Of that row, Tsitsipas said: “I think it has been settled already a long time ago. We had to play Laver Cup together in the same team. I’ve forgotten about it. He has forgotten about it.
“He’s someone that I respect. Obviously, he’s older than me. He has done great things in tennis. I’m looking forward to this match. I hope there’s plenty for me to learn.”
Murray’s practice on court was curtailed by the lunchtime rain on Wednesday but, despite being 12 years older at 36, ought to come into the match the fresher of the two.
He looked good in winning his opener against fellow Briton Ryan Peniston with a revised service action, aggressive groundstrokes and impressive movement across the court.
Murray boasts eight titles on the grass, including two at Wimbledon, while, in contrast, his opponent enjoyed his best Wimbledon run on debut in 2018 with a fourth-round appearance.
Of the challenge against Murray, Tsitsipas said: “He is a strong opponent, he has played on this court so many times. Grass suits his game very good. He has shown it with titles, two titles here at Wimbledon. He won Queen’s in the past. He’s a strong opponent on grass.
“I played him once before on grass in Stuttgart. I need to up my game on this occasion. I’m looking forward to having to face his solid game, which will make it physical. That is something that I haven’t been exposed to a lot on grass but I will have to put in the work and make it work this way.”
Tsitsipas is also entered in the men’s doubles with his brother Petros and in the mixed doubles with his girlfriend Paula Badosa.
There is even an Instagram page for the couple – tsitsidosa – which already boasts 60,000 followers. The relationship began when he messaged her following a win in Rome.
Badosa, who watched part of his win over Thiem from the stands, revealed a few more details of the build-up to their romance after her own first-round win.
She said: “I was injured in Australia, I watched his march, the final. Surprising, because I never dream about tennis players, but I dreamt about him that night, that we were both winning the Australian Open.
“Then it was like we were having a very romantic moment but I’m not going to explain. I’m just going to leave it there.”
