“John McEnroe’s the only player in history that the anger helped” – Jason Isaacs on the contrast between Carlos Alcaraz & Stefanos Tsitsipas

Jason Isaacs, known for his role as the infamous Lucius Malfoy in ‘Harry Potter’, recently shared his views on Stefanos Tsitsipas’ current challenges while competing on the ATP Tour.

The 60-year-old British actor, Isaacs, is well-known for his role in the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise, as well as other successful films such as The Patriot and Black Hawk Down. He has openly expressed his passion for tennis and was recently invited to appear on Tennis Channel’s show to discuss various topics related to the sport.

During an interview, Isaacs was asked about his experience playing with Stefanos Tsitsipas at ‘The Boodles Tennis Challenge’ in Great Britain in 2018 and 2019. While he had positive things to say about the Greek player’s focus and determination, he also expressed disappointment with his current approach to the game.

The 60-year-old proceeded to make a parallel between Tsitsipas and Carlos Alcaraz, emphasizing that despite the Spaniard’s inclination towards entertaining the audience during tough times, he never compromises on his on-court intensity.

“I think he’s a really lovely young man, very serious… I don’t know, something about watching him on court, he’s not having fun. And I’ve seen the joy Carlos Alcaraz brings even when he’s not playing well, he loses.”Jason Isaacs told Tennis Channel’s Steve Weissman. “But something about the kinda free spirit, the relish that he has both for the game, for the crowd and it’s not that he doesn’t take it seriously. Obviously, he trains like a lunatic.”

The actor also mentioned that, aside from John McEnroe, getting flustered on the court has never proven beneficial for top players. He cited one of his conversations with Tsitsipas as an example.

“But Stef, when I watch him on the court, even the exhibition match that I got to hit with him afterward, I said, ‘Why do you get so angry? What are we doing?’ He goes, ‘Ah, I just get caught up,’”he added. “And I just met him, but I went, ‘It doesn’t help. Doesn’t help you.’ I’ve been watching tennis since before McEnroe’s time, he’s the only player in history that it helped. His dad’s behind and nodding at me.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas Reflects on the Challenges of Professional Tennis

Last year, in an interview with the New York Times, Stefanos Tsitsipas expressed that he believes there is a greater amount of suffering than pleasure in the world of tennis. He also discussed his father Apostolos’ struggle to fund his tennis career during his early years.

“I’d definitely tell them there’s more suffering in this sport than pleasure,”Tsitsipas told the NY Times. “Pleasure is there on the court but it’s also going to be painful, dealing with losses and defeats.

“What I’ve learned is that I always have to keep pushing myself to the limit. There were a lot of financial obstacles — tennis is an individual sport, and it requires you to pay for everything on your own.”

Despite a less than impressive season so far in 2024, Tsitsipas has only managed to win five out of his 11 tour-level matches and has fallen out of the top 10 rankings for the first time since 2019. Nevertheless, the Greek athlete is determined to regain his position at the upcoming Monte-Carlo Masters, an event where he has previously won twice.