Stefanos Tsitsipas never hides his emotions when he is on the tennis court. The Greek star has drawn praise and criticism in equal measure for his emotionally competitive style at every tournament. However, the 22-year-old has remained unapologetic about his playing style. In a recent interview, Tsitsipas explained why he always carries his heart on his sleeve when he gets onto the tennis court.
Tsitsipas feels that winning has turned him into a celebrity in Greece
During the interview, the current world number six claimed that he is always passionate on the tennis court because he always wants to win. Stefanos acknowledged that the success he has had in his young tennis career has turned him into a celebrity in his country, and he couldn’t be as popular if he didn’t win. The 22-year-old feels that his achievements have enabled him to be part of the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy and attract commercial sponsors. Tsitsipas also admitted that he is always emotional when he plays because he hates losing. The Greek star said, “Without winning, I wouldn’t be traveling all around the world. Losing kind of keeps you in the same place, in the same spot, which is why I hate losing.”
The 22-year-old accidentally hit his father with a tennis racket at the ATP Cup
The Greek displayed his fiery passion on the court at the ATP Cup in January. During his match against Nick Kyrgios, the current world number six accidentally hit his father, Apostolos, with a tennis racket after losing a point. Tsitsipas’ mother, Julia, came down to the court from the crowd to check on her husband, and she later criticized her son publicly for the incident. The 22-year-old received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the incident, and he went on to lose to Kyrgios. Stefanos will need to control his emotions at the ATP Finals as he seeks to defend his 2019 title.
The Greek star will face Rafael Nadal on Wednesday in a must-win game for both players. Ahead of the match, Tsitsipas declared that he would have to be aggressive against the French Open champion because it is difficult to compete against the Spaniard with a defensive strategy. He will be looking to improve his head-to-head record against Nadal. The 20-time Grand Slam champion has a 5-1 winning record against the 22-year-old, and he will be the favored to win the match and proceed to the semifinals. However, Tsitsipas has insisted that he is prepared to put up a fight and keep up with Nadal’s power game. Fans will be on the lookout to see how the ATP Finals defending champion handles the emotional intensity of the match.
Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2020
Ranked no.6, the Greek played his last match on the 19th of November when he capitulated to Rafael Nadal 6-4 4-6 6-2 in the round robin in the Nitto ATP Finals.
At the moment, this season Tsitsipas has a compiled 27-14 record. This year, Stefanos won 1 title in Marseille. Tsitsipas got to the final in Dubai and in Hamburg.