Stefanos Tsitsipas says he’s living out the best period of his life at the moment, following a fruitful season on the court in 2019, per The Straits Times.
The Greek star ended his 2019 by capturing the ATP Finals trophy in London last month and has set targets for the upcoming term, revealing he’s after a top-three finish, as well as a Grand Slam title, among other achievements.
The 21-year-old beat defending champ Alexander Zverev and tennis icon Roger Federer en route to defeating Dominic Thiem in a three-set affair at the O2 Arena in the final. He says he was unable to get meaningful sleep following the momentous win as he kept seeing flashbacks of the match point that sealed the deal for him in the said final.
Speaking to reporters in Abu Dhabi, where he’s poised to feature in the Mubadala World Tennis exhibition, Tsitsipas said: “I’m currently living in the best period of my life, with the best people around me. I really feel like this is very important for my balance and for my thinking.” The event begins this Thursday.
The youngster is just one of two players to have beaten a member of tennis’s “Big Three” this year and is looking to go up against Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at next year’s majors. The three superstars have won the last 12 consecutive majors and have 55 Grand Slams titles between them but Tsitsipas reckons players from his generation are well-positioned to knock them off given their aging bodies.
“I understand that our tennis era is changing in a way, the top-three are getting older obviously, we are the ones come from behind. So for me, I do have as a goal to win a Grand Slam title next year, that’s for sure, but it’s not a matter of life or death for me,” he said.
“One of my goals for next year would be a Grand Slam title, finishing in the top-three by the end of the year, making the Nitto Finals again and winning a Masters 1000.”
Tsitsipas odds at the Mubadala WTC and Australian Open
Tsitsipas is 2/5 to beat the 7/4 Andrey Rublev at the exhibition on Thursday, with the winner to play Djokovic on Friday. If you’re looking to get some tennis bets in moving forward but have concerns about payment options, you could get a free iDebit review at https://www.onlinesportbetting.ca/idebit-review/.
The pick for Tennis Tonic is Tsitsipas that should win in 3 sets.
The Greek star is currently 12/1 to win the Australian Open next year with Bet365, who has Djokovic as the favorite at 13/8. Nadal is 7/2 with Ladbrokes while Federer is 8/1 with Betfair. Zverev and Thiem are 12/1 and 20/1 respectively with William Hill. Betvictor’s offering 25/1 odds on Andy Murray while Nick Kyrgios is 45/1.
Where Tsitsipas is concerned, you could also get a Skybet Price Boost option at 11/1.
The nine-time ATP tour finalist reached the semi-finals of said tournament last January and is a great pick to go all the way in 2020.
“What I need to do is go the extra mile and surpass them and that’s going to be the biggest challenge for next year, I need to surpass one of them in order for me to finish in the top-three next year,” he added.
Stefanos Tsitsipas’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.6, Stefanos played his last match on the 17th of November when he overcame Dominic Thiem 6-76 6-2 7-64 in the final in London to win his 4th career title.
Presently, this year the Greek has a 53-25 win-loss record. Stefanos conquered 3 titles in 2019 in Marseille, in Estoril and in London. Tsitsipas was the finalist in Dubai, in Madrid and in Beijing.
Stefanos Tsitsipas |
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