Stefanos Tsitsipas’ 92-minute third-round win over Mikael Ymer at Roland Garros on Saturday proved relatively straightforward compared to his marathon battles with Lorenzo Musetti and Zdenek Kolar in the first two rounds at the clay-court Grand Slam. Yet despite the differing nature of the victory, the approach that took the Greek there remained the same.

“I had to do my job. I had to play my tennis. I wasn’t really thinking of the ease that I could maybe create in terms of a result,” said the World No. 4 in his post-match press conference. “With my good efforts, the way I committed myself to every single point individually, the end was good.

“I was able to create a good result today with some good tennis and be overall consistent in many aspects of my game. Playing with a lot of depth and really staying patient. I wasn’t thinking of the result. I was entirely focused on my play out there.”

Tsitsipas holds high ambitions for another deep run in Paris, where he is now in the fourth round for a fourth consecutive year. Rather than emphasising the physical benefits of a straight-sets victory, however, the 2021 finalist was focussed on how the result boosts him mentally.

“It’s a good thing to have a match like this every now and then,” he said. “Especially when you come in, when you walk into a match with so much confidence and believe that you can really structure your tactics and you feel the confidence of your game itself.

“Having built up through the matches before, having played a lot of rallies but having been in a lot of situations in a match, you are able to kind of awaken the mind a little bit and see the best opportunities and possibilities for yourself.”

Despite his gruelling clashes with Musetti (which lasted three hours, 34 minutes) and Kolar (four hours, six minutes), Tsitsipas believes off-court changes he has made now allow him to maintain his challenge over a Grand Slam fortnight regardless of the amount of time spent on court.

“I respect the top three a lot for having been so incredibly consistent the last couple of years. These guys have pushed me to become a better athlete…Every day is a question: ‘What can I add?’

“I have improved certainly a lot when it comes to my diet. Looking back on the diet that I had, let’s say, three or four years ago, it’s nothing compared to what I have now. I’m very professional and very conscious of what I consume and what I eat every day.

“In terms of fitness, this is something that I have questioned a lot as well. How much more can I push and bring my body to the limits in order to be at ease when I’m on the court, and be able to withstand all that physical pressure of playing long matches and having to push after every single shot?”

Tsitsipas’ new methods have powered the Greek to a strong 2022 season. He owns a Tour-leading 34 match wins this year and the Greek will hope that momentum can now carry him to a maiden Grand Slam title in Paris. The fourth seed feels taking a fresh perspective on his life on Tour can also help him achieve that goal.

“Of course the balance between life and career hasn’t been easy, but I really feel in better control of my life right now,” said Tsitsipas. “Being focussed and having control around me without relying too much on other people’s feelings and other people in general. I put myself a little bit more in front than I used to before, which I think has helped a lot.”

As Novak Djokovic eased past Aljaz Bedene at Roland Garros on Friday, a bona fide superstar of Italian music was enjoying the on-court rhythm of the World No. 1’s third-round display.

Eros Ramazzotti, who has sold over 60 million records across a 30-year career, was in the stands on Court Philippe Chatrier to witness Djokovic’s 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 victory. Ramazzotti, a singer, instrumentalist and songwriter who is also hugely popular in the Spanish-speaking world, is a long-time tennis fan but was paying his first visit to Roland Garros as a guest of the French Tennis Federation.

“I always follow tennis and enjoy watching matches,” said the 58-year-old Ramazzotti, who has performed duets with a catalogue of stars including Cher, Tina Turner, Luciano Pavarotti and Ricky Martin. “The site is very impressive, I had never been here before. It was nice to see the behind the scenes and meet some of the players.

“John McEnroe used to be my favourite player, but this generation has a lot of amazing athletes and it’s really fun to follow the sport.”

A seven-time year-end No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Djokovic’s own Italian language skills are well-known. Two years ago, the Serbian even visited one of Italy’s most well-known music festivals in Sanremo, where he sang ‘Terra Promessa’, one of Ramazzotti’s most famous songs.

Bernabe Zapata Miralles did not think he would be in Paris on Saturday, but his best performance in a Grand Slam at Roland Garros has scuppered any plans the 25-year-old Valencian may have made before the event kicked off.

Soon after the qualifier beat John Isner on Friday to book himself a place in the last sixteen in the French capital, Zapata Miralles started a special campaign when he sat before the media at his post-match press conference — he asked for help sourcing a ticket for Saturday evening’s Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid at the Stade de France.

“This is a public announcement. If anyone has a ticket…I’d like to go!” the Spaniard joked. “Tomorrow [Saturday] I’ll watch the match…if I can do so in the stadium, it would be better. I’m from Valencia but I support [Real] Madrid. I want Madrid to win the Champions League final against Liverpool!”

By beating Isner, Zapata Miralles moved into the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, as well as earning himself the opportunity to go even further at the clay-court Grand Slam. On Sunday, the Spaniard will face Alexander Zverev for a place in the quarter-finals at the second major of the year.

“I’m trying not to think too much about being in the last 16,” Zapata Miralles acknowledged. “I’m still exhausted and in shock. I’ve tried to focus on the match and forget about the result and the round. It’ll start to sink in when I return home, honestly.

“I’m very excited. It’s a tournament that I love, and I didn’t expect to reach the round of 16. It’s a dream. I’m just thinking about improving and continuing to work hard. I have mental lows, the matches are long for me. It’s more exciting playing in these rounds, but I find it much harder to make the effort to play these matches.

“I’m going to try and keep up this level of work every week, if possible.”

Zapata Miralles is now reaping the rewards of hours of hard work behind the scenes, while he tries to find the best way to prepare to face Zverev.

“Now it’s time to rest and get ready for Sunday,” said the Valencian. “I don’t know if I’ve reached my limit or not, but I’m not too concerned. I just want to work well. If I’ve given my all on court, I can go home with peace of mind. I’ll find it hard to manage the nerves, but I’ll try and forget about them.”

To do so, Zapata Miralles may follow the lead of one of his idols, all of whom have helped him progress in one way or another. “On a mental level, [Rafael] Nadal is the best in history,” said Zapata Miralles. “I followed David Ferrer from when I was young, as he’s Valencian, and now I often watch Pablo Andujar.”