Stefanos Tsitsipas was supposedly the man to carry tennis forward after his NextGen Finals 2018 win. However, the Greek star has so far failed to match up to high expectations. Although the World No.7 has made it to the finals of some Grand Slams, he is not disheartened about not winning one yet as he feels he is a late bloomer.
Currently, Novak Djokovic is dominating men’s tennis with the younger generation trying to get to the Serbian’s level. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been the closest competitors to the Serbian, and both of them are younger than Stefanos Tsitsipas.
In an interview with The Guardian, Tsitsipas feels that he still has plenty of time ahead of him. Still only 25, he admits that he is waiting for his chance to win a major and talked about Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic literally one after another in a candid take on his career. Tsitsipas was quoted as saying in the interview –
“The mind is the next big chapter that I need to unlock to give me seven consistent victories [to win a slam]. Yes, for sure. I’m a late bloomer. Carlos has two grand slams so far, against Novak [Djokovic] and [Casper] Ruud. I’m waiting for my chance. I’m 25 years old so I still have plenty of time.
“But I am not that kid that used to hunt for big wins with nothing to lose. Now there are younger kids on the block that want to show off their new cars, and I need to show I’m still here, like Novak, and that this is not over. I still think my old-looking car is still pretty cool. It’s vintage.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas made two Grand Slam finals and lost to Novak Djokovic on both the occasions. The Greek star made the French Open final in 2021 and the Australian Open final in 2023, but was denied a maiden Grand Slam title by the Serbian. However, Tsitsipas is still positive that a Grand Slam win is just around the corner.
Stefanos is Tsitsipas looking forward to the Novak Djokovic challenge at the Australian Open 2024
Stefanos Tsitsipas has hailed Novak Djokovic’s ability to remain on top of the game. The Serbian won three Grand Slams at the age of 36, in 2023 and has declared his intentions to continue to aim for more success. Tsitsipas feels that the Serbian likes to keep things simple and that makes it tough for his opponents.
The Greek superstar further added that he believes Djokovic is in better shape now than he was in 2020. Tsitsipas believes that he has to be at his best against the Serbian to stand a chance of winning the contest. Djokovic is still at the top of his game and fresh from multiple titles last year.
“He keeps improving constantly and I see a better Novak Djokovic now than in 2020. Against Novak you can’t fool around for a single point so your levels of concentration against him have to be the highest that you can reach. It’s difficult at times to fight back and find something because he has added a lot of strategy and simplicity as well.”
Although Tsitsipas has lost two Grand Slam finals to Novak Djokovic, he looks excited at the prospect of facing him again. The Greek star is ranked No.7 currently but a good run at the Australian Open will push his ranking up even higher. With Novak Djokovic the man to beat again, it will be interesting to see how Tsitsipas approaches the Australian Open challenge again.
