“That Is One of My Goals”: Stefanos Tsitsipas Hopes To Stand in the Way of Novak Djokovic in His Quest for One Missing Accolade

Stefanos Tsitsipas had a topsy-turvy 2023 season. The Greek star had a bright start to the season, which ended in disappointment. However, the 25-year-old has made it clear in a recent interview that he is gunning to win at least one Grand Slam title and an Olympics medal in 2024.

Recently, Stefanos Tsitsipas was playing in the World Tennis League in the United Arab Emirates’ capital city in Abu Dhabi. It also helped him prepare to some extent for the Australian Open due to playing on hard courts and that too in similar weather conditions, although he played doubles matches in the event. And according to Opta, Stefanos Tsitsipas is the youngest male player to reach three consecutive semifinals at the Australian Open since Roger Federer. The Greek may have joined elite company already but a Grand Slam title still eludes him.

In an interview with UAE’s The National, Tsitsipas claimed that he was not totally fit for some tournaments in 2023. This explains how his season went overall. However, he sounds more confident for the 2024 season.

“I want to obviously bring an Olympic medal back to my country, that is a goal of mine…I want to win a Grand Slam title [in 2024], that is also a goal of mine. For sure, in order for me to do these things I need to be healthy because there was a time this season where certain circumstances didn’t allow me to perform at 100 per cent.”

Tsitsipas‘ next assignment is the United Cup in Sydney from Monday, January 2. He will be the star attraction of Team Greece alongside Maria Sakkari. His performances in the tournament could determine his confidence going into the Australian Open in Melbourne, where he agonisingly lost last year in the final to Novak Djokovic.

Stefanos Tsitsipas hopes to deny Novak Djokovic Olympics glory

Stefanos Tsitsipas can be quite a handful on clay just as he is on any hard court surface. This could be problematic for Novak Djokovic who also has clearly spelt out his desire for winning an Olympics gold medal in what could possibly his last appearance at the event. The Serbian is the only player among the ‘Big Three’ to have not won at Olympics. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have already added the Olympics gold to their CVs.

The return of Rafael Nadal and the hunger of Stefanos Tsitsipas might prove to be a problem for the Serbian superstar. But Tsitsipas paid homage to both the players indirectly by saying that he needed to improve and work harder to ensure that he fulfills his goals, due to their competitiveness being extremely high, especially in Grand Slams.