"There is no more Big 3 because they are not the top 3 players in the ranking right now" Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas is understandably ebullient following his title triumph at Monte-Carlo. Ahead of his campaign in Barcelona, the Greek star aired his views on a variety of subjects and on where he stood vis-a-vis the Big 3.
At a press conference in Barcelona, the World No. 5 was asked if his time had come, given that the Big 3 are going through a challenging period. In response, the Greek said a single tournament triumph could not herald his arrival.
"We need more tournaments to see if this is my moment. My moment is not going to be defined by a single tournament. Maybe this tournament is part of history, but you cannot say that it is my moment only by a tournament," Tsitsipas said.
The 23-year-old pointed out that the Big 3 no longer reign supreme at the top of the rankings and highlighted Roger Federer's prolonged absence from the tour.
The 23-year-old from Athens, however, feels that Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will continue to come hard at each other.
"I understand what you say the Big Three, but right now there is no more Big Three because they are not the top three players in the ranking right now. One of them has been absent for a long time, but I still see competition between the other two," he added.
Can Stefanos Tsitsipas complete the Monte-Carlo-Barcelona double this year?
Tsisipas was on the verge of completing the Monte Carlo-Barcelona double last year, but lost in the final of the latter tournament to Rafael Nadal.
In the absence of Nadal, the Greek will be looking to go one better this time around but will need to get past another Spaniard who has been his nemesis of late.
Tsisipas stated that he was looking forward to a great rivalry with Carloz Alcaraz in the years to come. The Spaniard leads their head-to-head 2-0, with their first match coming at last year's US Open. Their most recent meeting came in the fourth round of the Miami Masters a few weeks ago, which the teenager won as well.
"Carlos is one of the toughest opponents I've ever faced. He has a very complete game on all surfaces. I haven't had a chance to beat him yet, but I totally want to get my first win against him. "
"I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'm going to work hard to make it happen," he said. I know he's someone very humble, who spends hours and hours working and training, as well as a great person, although I don't know if that matters at all on the track (laughs). "
"I think we can build a nice rivalry for the future and I see him as a tough competitor in the years to come. My goal, if I face him, will be to do much better than before," the Greek said.
Tsitsipas is the top seed at the 2022 Barcelona Open and will begin his campaign against Illya Ivashka in the second round.
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