MELBOURNE: Stefanos Tsitsipas said he hoped to emerge stronger from his fourth-round defeat by Taylor Fritz at the Australian Open on Sunday after the Greek world number seven suffered his earliest exit in four years at the Melbourne Park Grand Slam.

The 25-year-old reached the last four in 2019 and lost in the third round the following year, but embarked on two more semi-final runs before losing to 10-times champion Novak Djokovic in last year’s title clash.

Tsitsipas said he would need a few days to reflect and recover from his 7-6(3) 5-7 6-3 6-3 defeat.

“It’s not a negative feeling,” he told reporters.

“It’s a feeling of evolution, of change, which is constant. Change is always constant. One day you’re in the top 10, the other day you’re not there anymore. “So you have to keep on working and allowing yourself to flourish through these experiences, allow yourself to seek for all these moments that have been working for you over the last few years, give it another shot time after time.”

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Tsitsipas, who is yet to win a Grand Slam, said dealing with setbacks was part of the job. “There’s way more moments in your career that are painful and tough to deal with, suffering and all that, than moments of glory and success and opening champagne bottles,” he added.

“These are a small percentage of what a tennis player lives on a yearly basis.”