“Medvedev, Zverev and I can be the next big three”- says Stefanos Tsitsipas with belief
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Greek World No.3, Stefanos Tsitsipas recently appeared in an interview with ‘Sports Bild’ where he made some resounding statements that makes the tennis universe to think about.
The Greek, who is already preparing to face the last stretch of the season, was asked questions like – The future of the Big 3, how big is Novak Djokovic and his recurring trips to the bathroom, among other topics.
“Currently there is only one great player: Novak Djokovic”
The World No.3 believes that Novak Djokovic is the best tennis player in the world currently.
The Serbian won a record-extending sixth Paris Masters title by avenging his US Open final defeat against World No.2, Daniil Medvedev with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory in Sunday’s final match. In addition to that, Djokovic even clenched the year-end No.1 ranking for a record-shattering 7th time surpassing his childhood here – Pete Sampras. All this happened over the span of two days.
Tsitsipas faced the Serbian maestro in the Roland Garros final was 2-0 up however, Djokovic showed his class with an extraordinary comeback to win the title in five sets.
The 23 year-old Greek however, believes that Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and himself are very much on the pathway to become the next ‘Big 3’ of tennis.
Regarding the Serbian, he added that “no one knows” how long he will play and said: “I still have a lot of confidence in him. Who would have thought that Roger Federer would still play at 40? I do not. But I’m sure it will reappear. “
“My intention is not to disturb anyone’s rhythm, it is not a tactical tool” – Tsitsipas on his recurring bathroom trips at games
One of the incidents that put Tsitsipas in the eye of the storm during the season was his recurring trips to the bathroom at games, something that generated annoyance in some of his rivals, such as Alexander Zverev and Andy Murray, who complained about it.
When asked during the interview about his bathroom visits during games, the World No.3 defended himself by saying – “My intention is not to disturb anyone’s rhythm, it is not a tactical tool. Anyway, I only look at myself and not the opponent. Even after winning a set 6-0, I went to the bathroom and changed my things. “
He further explained – “It always has to do with external conditions. I never did it at the Indian Wells tournament because the conditions were so dry. I didn’t sweat that much as before in Cincinnati and at the US Open. The circumstances were different and I responded accordingly.”
Read the full interview here –
Tsitsipas had been eliminated in the second round of the Masters 1000 in Paris, where he only played six games and had to retire in his debut. He accumulated two titles this year – Monte Carlo and Lyon and lost three finals – Acapulco, Barcelona ad Roland Garros.
The last stop for the World No.3 will be at the ATP Finals in Turin.
Also Read: Find out about the newly implemented rules at the 2021 NextGen ATP Finals
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Nihar Khopkar
(191 Articles Published)