"U tenisu nema prijateljstva, jer se svi plaše da će vam otkriti tajnu kako da ih pobedite"

Foto: Tanjug/AP

Grčki teniser Stefanos Cicipas otvorio je dušu svom kolegi Noi Rubinu i rekao zašto se na svojim teniskim počecima osećao loše.

Cicipas je od usamljenog dečaka došao do Top 5 tenisera u jednom trenutku i po pravilu je nezgodan protivnik na koga god da se nameri.

Pre nekoliko godina kada je tek prelazio u profesionalne vode bojao se da nije dovoljno dobar ni za fjučerse, ali se onda nešto u njegovom stavu promenilo.

- Te 2018. godine sam se probio do top 15 tenisera na svetu i bio sam nosilac na Grend slemovima. Tek tada sam shvatio svoj potencijal. U početku sam putovao samo sa ocem, a sada putujem sa ocem, majkom i još troje braće i sestara. Ja sam glavni izvor prihoda u porodici - počinje Cicipas priču za "Behind the racquet" koji je pokrenuo njegov kolega teniser Noa Rubin.

Grk je jedan od najtemperamentnijih igrača koji trenutno nastupaju i jedan od onih igrača sledeće generacije koji je uz Danila Medvedeva verovatno najbliži trofeju Grend slema.

Neretko bučan i gestikulativan na terenu, pa ipak kaže da je kao dete bio introvertan, a tenis pospešuje upravo ovakvo ponašanje.

 

 

 

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“In 2018, I broke into the Top 15 and was seeded in Grand Slams. That's when I understood my potential. In the beginning, I traveled with only my dad. Now, I travel with my dad, mom, and three siblings. I'm the main source of income for my family. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I have hobbies that keep me interested in different aspects of life. These activities keep me creative and are reflected in my tennis game. Sometimes, I post things on my social media that not many people understand. These posts express my inner creativity. I put Stefanos’ twist on life. I am philosophical, I come from a country with a history of philosophy and I don't know if I was Pythagoras or Socrates in my previous life, but I wouldn't mind being either one. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ There was a time when I wasn't doing well. I started to play futures and was doubting myself. I wasn't sure if I was good enough to play professional tennis. My country was on the verge of bankruptcy. The entire population was suffering. My father's siblings were unemployed and couldn't feed their families. People looked at me like I was the one ruling the country and they thought I was part of the problem. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I felt isolated. I wasn't home to see what was going on because I was traveling. I needed support. My mental coach shared his wisdom and inspired me. Then I said to myself, ‘You've dedicated your entire life to tennis, you can't just give up. You’ve got to keep going.’ I play tennis to prove that my country has a great history and can achieve success. Tennis is a very introverted sport and we face everything alone. We have a team that follows us all over the world but I have spent countless sleepless nights on my own. All the traveling and competing causes a lot of stress and I grew very lonely.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I was an introverted child and didn't have many friends. When I started playing on tour, I thought I would develop friendships but it turned out to be the opposite. Most players keep to themselves. I feel like players don't want to become friends because they think someone will grab a secret from you to beat you. I guess they're just too serious about the whole thing. Friends would make traveling less lonely.⁣⁣” @stefanostsitsipas98 #BTRA post shared by Behind The Racquet (@behindtheracquet) on Jul 30, 2020 at 10:01am PDT

- Tenis je sport introvertnih i sa svim morate da se suočavate sami. Imamo tim koji nas prati širom sveta, ali sam proveo brojne neprospavane noći sam. Sve to putovanje i takmičenje izaziva veliki stres i vremenom sam postao usamljen - priznaje Cicipas.

On je ispričao i o tome kako se osećao dok je rastao u zemlji koja je sve dublje tonula u krizu, te da se osećao kao deo problema dok je Grčka bila na ivici bankrota.

Uz sve to, otkrio je i jednu zabludu u kojoj je kao klinac živeo, ali i surovu crtu koju tenis sa sobom neminovno nosi.

- Bio sam povučeno dete i nisam imao mnogo prijatelja. Kad sam počeo da igram na ATP turu, mislio sam da će mi to pomoći da upoznam prijatelje, ali se ispostavilo da je bilo suprotno. Većina tenisera drži sve za sebe. Čini mi se kao da igrači ne žele da budu prijatelji međusobno da ne bi otkrili neku svoju tajnu kako da ih pobediš. Mislim da jendostavno preozbiljno shvataju celu stvar. Prijateljstva bi sva ta putovanja učinila mnogo manje usamljenim - istakao je Cicipas.

(Telegraf.rs)