"My biggest dream of all is for us to be World No. 1 one day together" - Stefanos Tsitsipas sets lofty goals for himself & girlfriend Paula Badosa
Stefanos Tsitsipas has but one wish for himself and his girlfriend Paula Badosa: to become World No. 1 in their respective tours and even occupy the spots at the same time.
While Badosa is a former World No. 2 on the WTA Tour, Tsitsipas' best ranking has been No. 3. The Greek is now fourth in the world, having won his first title of the year last week in Los Cabos. Badosa, meanwhile, is No. 45 in the world, a consequence of an injury-hit year and lukewarm results across the board.
Recently, Tsitsipas joked that his main goal is to surpass his girlfriend's career-best ranking and become World No. 1.
"My goals are to surpass Paula's best ranking, which is World No. 2. And to get better than that I'm," he said with a laugh. "The good thing about us is that we get competitive in those things in a healthy way, so I hope I get to equal it or even better (it)."
Expanding on that comment during his pre-tournament press conference at the Canadian Open, the 24-year-old said that he wants Badosa to have an "incredible" career and reach the No. 1 spot.
His "biggest" dream, incidentally, is for them to be World No. 1 one day together, The Greek says that it's his "deepest desire" to achieve something like that with the person who would be there for him for the rest of his life.
"I honestly don't even mind if she beats me. I want her to beat me. That means she's getting better, and I want her to have an incredible career and reach World No. 1," Stefanos Tsitsipas said.
"And my biggest dream of all is for us to do it together. To be World No. 1 one day together, I think I can truly say that I have fulfilled my biggest, deepest desire in tennis to not just have done it myself but to have done it with a person who will be there for me for the rest of my life," he added.
"I bring the best out of my tennis with her when I practice" - Stefanos Tsitsipas on training with girlfriend Paula Badosa
Stefanos Tsitsipas also joked that he "technically" has a 1-0 lead in the head-to-head against his girlfriend Paula Badosa, as he was unbeaten in an exhibition match at Indian Wells.
On a serious note, the Greek admitted that he really enjoys practicing together, saying that Badosa brings out the best in him and vice versa.
"Unofficially, I'm undefeated in an exhibition match in Indian Wells. So technically, it's 1-0 for me. Don't promote it too much. I don't want this to reach her too much because she will get very competitive, which is not the best thing to do right now, especially under her own circumstances that she has to deal with," Stefanos Tsitsipas said.
"I bring the best out of my tennis with her when I practice. I had the chance to practice with her recently, and I really enjoy practicing with her. We have great hits," he added.
At the Canadian Open, fourth seed Tsitsipas will open his campaign against Gael Monfils in the Round of 32. Badosa, meanwhile, has been forced to withdraw due to injury.