Stefanos Tsitsipas will Novak Djokovic play against Novak Djokovic on Monday in Turin, which will be his opening match at the ATP Finals. It’s a bit of a long shot, but the Greek sensation has the opportunity to become the new world number 1 if he wins the ATP Finals without losing a single match.
During a recent interview in Torino, Stefanos Tsitsipas revealed that he is not too stressed about the opportunity of becoming the first player of the ATP Tour. He said that he feels that becoming the world number 1 is a marathon and not a sprint and therefore, if he will not make it this time, he will have more opportunities in the future.
“I’m actually very determined and extremely privileged to be in a position to be fighting for the World No. 1 spot, because it’s always been a dream of mine since I was a little kid to be crowned World No. 1,” said Stefanos.
“It would definitely mean a lot. It’s an amazing thing to accomplish something like this. I’m going to try to be relaxed, enjoy the process of it, and not think too much of the destination, but the journey is the one that matters the most. In this case, playing good tennis and enjoying myself out on the court is much more important than obsessing over that World No. 1 title, which might come now or come later. It’s more of a marathon than a sprint.”
Head-to-head against Novak Djokovic
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic squared off 11 times. Their current head to head is 9-2 for Djokovic. Previously, the last time they locked horns, Novak Djokovic won 6-2 3-6 7-6(4) in the semifinal in Paris (Rolex Paris Masters) on the 5th of November 2022.
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2022
Currently ranked no.3 (career-high), Tsitsipas played his last match on the 5th of November when he lost to world no.8 Novak Djokovic 6-2 3-6 7-6(4) in the semifinal in Paris (draw).
This year Stefanos owns a composed 58-22 match record. Stefanos clinched 2 titles in 2022 in Monte-Carlo and Mallorca. The Greek was the runner-up in Rotterdam, in Rome, in Cincinnati, in Astana and in Stockholm.
Novak Djokovic in 2022
Currently ranked no.8, the Serbian played his last match on the 6th of November when he surrendered to world no.10 Holger Rune 3-6 6-3 7-5 in the final in Paris (draw).
Until now, during this year the Serbian achieved a composed 37-7 match record. The Serbian conquered 4 titles in 2022 in Rome, Wimbledon, Tel Aviv and Astana. The Serbian got to the final in Belgrade and in Paris.