Stefanos Tsitsipas is the first runner-up of this Australian Open. The Greek needed three and a half hours to defeat Karen Khachanov in the first semifinal played at Rod Laver Arena: four sets and a result of 7-6, 6-4, 6-7 and 6-3 in his favor.
“For now all I have to say is that this is an opportunity that I will live with humility. Being in the final means a lot. Having started here in the junior tournament, it is important to return to the place where I took my first steps on the tennis court.
tennis. I will take this opportunity and prepare for this great day”, he declared at the press conference. “I am playing very good tennis”, continued the two-time Slam finalist, who has not yet lost at this start of 2023. “I don’t see any negativity or negative aspects in what I’m trying to do on the court.
I’m very optimistic and positive about any result, against any opponent I face. Things may not go the way I want, but I put 110 % On it”. For Stefanos Tsitsipas, who, like Novak Djokovic, does not remember the French Open final (“I don’t remember it either, no,” he joked at the press conference) the Melbourne Park final is an all-in: if he wins the title, he will become number one in the world.
On this possibility, Tsitsipas turns to childhood memories and dreams: “As a child, I told myself that I too wanted to be there one day. Like those who came before me, I want to recreate that feeling. I knew it would be a very long journey to get there.
You have to take certain steps to have a chance to compete for something like that. But he believed in it. I believed in it a lot. First of all, it is my ego that speaks. You either have it or you don’t, you know? As a child I was very confident in myself.
I was number one as a junior. Now I also want to be number one in professional men’s tennis, yes.”
Tsitsipas was enjoying himself on the court
Stefanos Tsitsipas has already taken his win tally to double figures in 2023.
“I’m playing great tennis. I’m enjoying myself. I just see no downside or negativity in what I’m trying to do out there. Even if it doesn’t work, I’m very optimistic and positive about any outcome, any opponent that I have to face,” Stefanos Tsitsipas said.
“This is something that has been sort of lacking in my game. I genuinely believe in what I’m able to produce. That is more than enough. I go about this way. I do this with a lot of — I strive for it every single day. It might not go the way I want it to, but I put 110% out there,” he added.
