"I'm actually very determined and extremely privileged to be in a position to be fighting for the World No. 1 spot" - Stefanos Tsitsipas ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin
World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas has expressed gratitude for having the opportunity to fight for the World No. 1 spot at the Nitto ATP Finals.
During a media session ahead of the season-ending championship, Tsitsipas said it was a childhood dream to achieve the No. 1 ranking.
"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," he said.
The Greek, however, made it clear that he was focused on enjoying the process and not fixating on results. For him, this meant playing good tennis and enjoying his time on the court.
"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, not think too much of the destination, but the journey is the one that matters the most," he asserted. "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."
The Monte-Carlo Masters champion added that he was content with his performances on all surfaces this season.
"I'm glad to be here fighting for something prestigious in this type of an event. I've earned my spot playing consistent tennis throughout the entire year with good results on pretty much all surfaces," he said.
"My mind was very much occupied with how I am going to recover from that" - Stefanos Tsitsipas on his elbow injury
Stefanos Tsitsipas suffered a horrific injury to his elbow at the end of last season which forced him to withdraw from the 2021 ATP Finals.
Tsitsipas reflected on the difficult period, saying he wasn't in the best frame of mind at the time.
"I was not thinking of the best things at the time and my mind was very much occupied with how I am going to recover from that, how I'm going to come back stronger," he said.
The Greek star further stated that he didn't have any expectations at the start of the year but was surprised at how well he played at the Australian Open in January.
"I honestly didn't have any expectations during the beginning of the year. I thought I'm going to pick up later during the year. I was able to produce some really good tennis at the first Grand Slam of the year, playing with not that much of an expectation, I would say, when I was out on the court," Stefanos Tsitsipas added.