The big 3, his tennis and being outside of the sport, which seems so far away. These are some of the topics that Stefanos Tsitsipas addressed in an interview with Tennis Magazin. The Greek, who finished the season with two titles and no Slam finals, talks about the weight of the three players who have influenced modern tennis, calling them “heroes” and revealing the competition there is to take on their legacy: “We are all in this relay race, but I don’t know if the fans are ready for it.
In successful sport there are only a few heroes, that’s what makes it so attractive. For almost two decades we have had Roger, Rafa and Novak Djokovic, who are still there. These are the heroes we all watched grow up. Now there are many more players who want to take the helm, I’m not sure it’s going to contribute to the popularity of tennis, but it’s clear that the exclusivity of these three players will no longer exist.”
The number four in the world then spoke about his tennis, from his game to its surface. “I am an aggressive player on the court, I go to the net, I look for the winner, I don’t like to wait for my opponent to lose the point.
I try to play intelligently, I know I can improve at the net and that’s why I play a lot in doubles”, said the Greek, who then revealed which surface has given him the most important memories. “My favorite surface is the one I have the best memories on, so I’ll stick with clay.
The Roland Garros final was my biggest success so far, but I think I can play well anywhere. The soil doesn’t interest me much, because I also love grass, it’s a delight. I would like to see the grass course expanded.”
Last sentence on who Stefanos Tsitsipas could be outside of tennis: “Making movies could be a possibility in the future, having a career as an actor, director or producer would be great.”
Nole will be the favorite at the AO
Novak Djokovic remains “the best player” in the world and he will “add gravy and gravitas” to the 2023 Australian tennis summer with doubles great Paul McNamee saying he is the favourite to win next year’s Australian Open.
“He was the best player going in [last summer] and, on form, he is still the best player, especially on hard court, so he deserves to be favourite,” he told The Age. “I think winning 10 has a special ring to it.
The only other man who’s won 10 [at a Grand Slam event] is Rafa [Nadal] at the French, so I think he’ll be going hard to get a 10th Australian Open, especially after last year. I’m hoping he can get it. For me, he’s a person of principle.
Not everyone agrees with what his position is, but he stands by his word and missed two Grand Slams this year. That’s a lot to miss when you’re one off winning the most Grand Slams, so I respect it and I hope he is well received”.
