Australian Open 2021 - Tsitsipas 'must take advantage' of bye ahead of Rafael Nadal clash - Henman

ByDan Quarrell

Published 15/02/2021 at 09:38 GMT

Fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was the beneficiary of a bye through to the Australian Open quarter-finals when Matteo Berrettini was forced to pull out of their fourth-round clash, and Eurosport expert Tim Henman has said the Greek rising star must 'take advantage' of the rest to make a big breakthrough in his Grand Slam career.

Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on Rafael Nadal in the last eight at the 2021 Australian Open off the back of a bye, and Tim Henman says he has to make it count.

Taking on the world number two and 2009 champion at Melbourne Park is never an easy prospect, but Tsitsipas's prospects improved after Matteo Berrettini had to pull out of their fourth-round encounter.

The 22-year-old rising star from Greece reached the semi-finals in Melbourne two years ago, but has not progressed beyond the last four in any of the four Grand Slams in his career so far.

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Eurosport expert Henman believes this is a golden opportunity for a relatively fresh Tsitsipas to take on Nadal and make a real impact, particularly with the Spaniard battling with a persistent back problem.

Speaking in the Cube, the former British star says Berrettini's shock withdrawal will be "helpful" for Tsitsipas and he must capitalise.

"I think it’s helpful for Stefanos, there’s no doubt about it," Henman told Eurosport.

When you are going to play Nadal you need to have a full tank, full of energy. He would never wish that on his opponent, but now that he is through he has got to take advantage.

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"I’m sure he’ll probably have a decent practice session, he was preparing for the match so he’ll want to go out there and hit some balls with his coach.

"But then he must change his focus from what would have been a difficult match against Berrettini to what will be an even bigger challenge against Nadal."

Nadal continued his progress with a 6-3 6-4 6-2 straight-sets win over Fabio Fognini in the fourth round, including what Eurosport expert Alex Corretja hailed a "miracle shot".

'Miracle shot' from Nadal wows Corretja and Henman

Nadal is still yet to drop a set in the event, despite having to battle with an ongoing back problem, and his refreshingly aggressive approach has been lauded by Eurosport's Mats Wilander.

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