Daniil Medvedev does not agree with Stefanos Tsitsipas’ statement that the ATP Finals are greater than the Grand Slam.
The 2023 ATP Finals are presently taking place in Turin, Italy, and are expected to feature Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, and other competitors for the year-end titles. Before the tournament began on Sunday, the players gathered at the Royal Palace in Turin on Friday, November 10, for the official photo shoot and reception.
Medvedev and Rublev were asked to comment on Tsitsipas’s recent comments about the superiority of the ATP Finals over the Grand Slams during their media duties at the tournament.
Tsitsipas previously said on the ATP Tour: “It’s a whole celebration. The ATP Finals is a commemoration and celebration of the best of the best in our sport. We all gather together and we get to play against each other and focus on the fact that we are the best in the world trying to fight for this mega trophy, which is a grand prize in our sport. It means a lot. I would consider it probably a bigger thing than a Slam, honestly. It has big prestige and it’s a very valuable asset if you’re able to conquer and win it.”
Citing the higher difficulty of winning a major, Medvedev, the winner of the 2020 ATP Finals and the 2021 US Open, preferred Grand Slams.
Medvedev expressed his thoughts during the interview and said: “I’d say a Slam. For me, it’s harder because of the five sets. Yes, you face only the Top 10 players at year-end championships from the very first match, but still, you need to win five matches and not seven.”
He further added: “It makes a difference. You may even win four matches and still win the title. Anyway, everybody is entitled to their opinion but for me, it’s a Grand Slam.”
Daniil Medvedev in 2023
Currently the world no.3, the Russian played his last match on the 1st of November when he was defeated by world no.14 Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 6-7(4) 7-6(2)
in the 2nd round in Paris (draw).At present, during this year Medvedev has a composed 64-16 win-loss record. The Russian clinched 5 titles in 2023 in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai, Miami and Rome. The Russian was the runner-up in Indian Wells, U.S. Open, Beijing and Vienna.
Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2023
Now ranked no.6, the Greek played his last match on the 4th of November when he capitulated to world no.14 Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 6-7(1) 7-6(3) in the semifinal in Paris (draw).
At present, during this year Stefanos has managed to achieve an overall 51-22 record. Tsitsipas has won 1 title in Los Cabos. The Greek reached the final at the Australian Open and Barcelona.
Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas squared off 13 times. Their record is 9-4 for Medvedev. Previously, the last time they competed against each other, Daniil Medvedev won 6-4 7-6(6) in the semifinal in Vienna (Erste Bank Open) on the 28th of October 2023.
In the following video you can watch the highlights.