“I need to show I’m still here – like Djokovic does” – Tsitsipas on tour’s rising young stars

Stefanos Tsitsipas might not be the youngest man in the title mix any more, but he isn’t afraid of being ‘vintage’

Stefanos Tsitsipas (Panoramic)

January 8, 2024

Stefanos Tsitsipas is now 25 and still has no Grand Slams to his credit – despite reaching two finals. Carlos Alcaraz has won two and does not turn 21 until later this year.

The Greek is not concerned, though, and says with a hint of irony that he has a great example to look to – the man who defeated him in the finals of the 2023 Australian Open and 2021 Roland-Garros.

“I’m waiting for my chance,” he said in an interview with the Guardian. “I’m 25 years old so I still have plenty of time. But I am not that kid that used to hunt for big wins with nothing to lose.

Tsitsipas: There are no excuses with Djokovic

Tsitsipas spoke at length about Djokovic’s form – suggesting that the Serbian is now even better than he was in 2020.

“Against Novak you need to be in your best possible shape. There are no excuses with him. You can’t fool around for a single point so your levels of concentration against him have to be the highest that you can reach. It’s difficult at times to fight back and find something because he has added a lot of strategy and simplicity as well. He doesn’t over-complicate things.

“His flexibility is mind-blowing, the way he can stretch and run, and also the precision of his shot-making. Not the tallest guy on the tour but he remains one of the toughest servers. Whenever we face Novak we know that this is a serious heist and most of the time it does not work out.”