Stefanos Tsitsipas set his sights on getting back into the top 10 of the ATP Rankings after acknowledging that the way he lost to Novak Djokovic in the Olympics was frustrating.
Tsitsipas, who was seeded eighth for Paris 2024, lost to Djokovic 6-3, 7-6(3) in their previous eight meetings, but the score did not fully reflect the match.
The Serbian player defeated the Greek for the twelfth time in a row, despite the Greek having several set points and a 4-0 lead in the second set. The 25-year-old said in an interview that winning a medal had always been a dream of his before beginning his Canadian Open campaign in Montreal.
Tsitsipas talked about it and said: “I felt like I was playing well at the Olympics and I had a big advantage against him in the second set. And honestly, I felt like I had some good opportunities in that match. It was disappointing to see myself lose with a double-break advantage in that match. But at least I can say that I did my best and I lost against the champion, the gold medallist of the Olympic Games. I did my best. Having played good tennis at Roland Garros, at least getting any medal at the Olympics would have been a dream of mine.”
Tsitsipas will now focus on the hard-court summer, which begins this week in Montreal.
The Greek player has been circling the top 10 in recent months after dropping out of the list in January for the first time in more than four years. In addition, he is eager to get back inside the crucial rankings level as he prepares for the summer.
He added: “I try to make the most of my opportunities regardless of the draw and I hope to make my way in this tournament this year. It’s normal that after an Olympic tournament with certain medal goals you arrive here with great expectations. It’s not easy to play after an Olympic tournament, there will be many absentees, half of the players will start on Wednesday and I will have to try to make the most of the matches I played in the previous weeks. It would have been different if I had come here with a medal, but my medal for this week will be to try to get closer to returning to the top 10.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2024
Currently ranked no.11, the Greek played his last match on the 1st of August when he was overcome by world no.2 Novak Djokovic 6-3 7-6(3) in the quarter in Paris (draw).
This year Stefanos has a composed 35-14 match record. This year, Tsitsipas clinched 1 title in Monte-Carlo. The Greek was the runner-up in Barcelona.
Stefanos Tsitsipas will square off with the world no.667 John Isner in the Round Robin on Sunday at 6:00 pm on CENTER COURT. Their actual head to head record is 6-2 for Tsitsipas.
Tsitsipas has won 1 title in 2024 in Monte-Carlo. Stefanos got to the final in Barcelona (Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell).
Tsitsipas won 12 titles in his career: 1 on hard courts, 5 on clay courts, 5 on indoor courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Tsitsipas is scheduled to play next in Cincinnati (Western & Southern Open). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 12th of August.
Stefanos Tsitsipas |
| Embed from Getty Images |