Despite falling in a three-set thriller to Denis Shapovalov in his opening singles match, Stefanos Tsitsipas’ trip to the California desert has still been more than magical.

Two matches alongside 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic in men’s doubles and a run to the semifinals of the $1 million Mixed Invitational with Greek partner Maria Sakkari have turned his stay in Tennis Paradise into a rewarding adventure.

“I never expected that I would be staying for mixed doubles, so here we go,” he told tournament radio after he and Sakkari took out third-seeded Marcelo Arevalo and Luisa Stefani, 7-5, 7-6(0). “I personally love it. I think it's a great initiative. I think more tournaments should have that.”

Tsitsipas, who has played with Sakkari in several international competitions, including the Olympic Games, says he loves being part of the mixed draw in Tennis Paradise.

“I would definitely like it to be applied more often and more frequently on the tour,” the 27-year-old Athens native said. “I personally like mixed doubles, especially if you find a good mixed doubles partner, it's even more fun. Me and Maria have history in the mixed doubles field, playing some good matches in the past and scoring some good wins at competitions such as the United Cup and the Olympic Games.

“We were very close to a medal in Tokyo. So we built some really good moments on the court, and I'm enjoying playing with her.”

Doubles with the Big Three

Playing with Djokovic was a big thrill for Tsitsipas this week. He has now played doubles with all of the venerable Big Three (Djokovic, Federer, Nadal), and he compared the experiences during his interview.

“I was actually very surprised how good Rafa is in doubles. You see him as a very strong singles player, you know, back from the baseline. He comes to the net occasionally to finish points. So I was really surprised to see how well Rafa places his serves to give me easy volleys when I played with him at the Laver Cup. And the second thing that I noticed is just that determination, the greed, the will to win. Rafa was exceptional at that.”

The Greek also gushed about Federer, the elegant Swiss who is tied with Djokovic for the all-time lead in singles titles in Tennis Paradise with five.

“Roger, it was just a masterclass,” he said. “He's pure elegance. Every single minute that I was out there with him, it was pure joy. It's like a dream come true because I used to look up to him and I always liked his game style. The reason I pursued a single-handed backhand is also because of him.”

And finally, on this week’s experience with Djokovic, Tsitsipas said:

“I'm really happy that I got to play with him. I was missing a Pokemon card. That was Novak Djokovic in doubles. I had Roger and Rafa in my collection.

“I have nothing but respect [for Djokovic]. The way he is able to find solutions, the way he's able to apply his brain into coming up with a base game plan is incredible. And that's what I enjoyed a lot with him this week. He might not serve the biggest. He might not hit the craziest shots, but the precision and the way he sees the court is incredible.”

Bencic, Cobolli Advance

The Italian-Swiss duo of Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli advanced into the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 win over France’s Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard, while top-seeded Gabriela Dabrowski and Lloyd Glasspool defeated Tim Puetz and Erin Routliffe, 7-5, 6-4.

Thursday’s final quarterfinal, between Julian Cash and Demi Schuurs and Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, will take place later.