Stefanos Tsitsipas ‘The very next step would be the No. 1 spot’

Stefanos Tsitsipas

The No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas has come closer and closer to winning a Grand Slam, or even eventually become No. 1. Or maybe not.

He lost in the semis at Cincinnati, against Alexander Zverev, 7-6 [4] in the third set. Tsitsipas was frustrated, but one way or another, it was time to move on.

However, at Roland Garros, the Greek looked spectacular. He reached the final, and he had to play against the No. 1 Novak Djokovic. It was super dense, but he lost, 6-4 in the fifth set. He was disappointed, but he did think that the next time, he will pick it up and throttle them.

Four years ago, the Greek had yet to crack into the top 32 and wasn’t seeded at a Grand Slam. However, he continued to push himself, and has been improving, little by little. Here and there.

But, in the last two months, the No. 3 Tsitsipas had not won a title. Maybe he is still thinking about why he lost on the clay at Roland Garros, or perhaps he is a little bit troubled.

Clearly, Tsitsipas is very good, when he is steady and he can bang it, left and right, and he can mix it up. Tsitsipas is pleased that he finally made it into the top three at the start in August, but he wants even more, which is his main goal.

“You don’t get many exciting moments like this in your career. The very first moment that I got to be part of this and feel that thrill and that energy and that adrenaline out of competition was when the top 10 for the first time after reaching the finals of Dubai [in 2019],” Tsitsipas said. “I saw it on Monday come out, and I felt overwhelmed by it. It was a great feeling. It was the same year that I got into the top five, which was an even better feeling, and the top three is the best of them all. I woke up on Monday a few weeks ago, and someone told me, I got to No. 3. I had no idea what Rafael Nadal [who will not play at the US Open due to his injury] had to do in order for me to get there, because I was completely out of any kind of information or wasn’t following any tennis. But the rankings are there for a reason. They signify something important. The next step the very next step would be the No. 1 spot, which I hope I can get to one day.”

The consistent and aggressive Tsitsipas does think that as long as he commits, he will eventually lift with the big trophies. However, it is likely that Djokovic will go very deep at the US Open, considering that the Serbian has won three Grand Slams this year. Yet Tsitsipas really wants to get on the court against the best player. That is what really matters.

“I see it as a challenge, as a challenging thing to do, and it’s me against my strengths so much. It’s me showing what I’m capable of,” he said. “If I keep it strategic and tactical, these things can come. It’s not about going out there and winning every single tournament week in, week out. You are not a robot. You can pull it off, but this is not the main focus right now. These milestones are very unique. The ones that every player should be aiming for is top 10, top 5, top 3, and then top 1. It will be a big clash between a few of my rivals, because they want the same exact thing as me. More precise work to be done, and I think lots of patience on court and off court.”

He needs that type of dedication now to get his first Grand Slam.