Stefanos Tsitsipas claims we're used to seeing Djokovic & Nadal make deep runs, says "let the young guns show what they got"
Stefanos Tsitsipas recently gave his thoughts on how Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have repeatedly denied the younger players at big events. Tsitsipas claimed that although the two legends are well into their 30s, they are still well-equipped to "find solutions" against the Next Gen.
Interacting with the media after beating Dan Evans to reach the final of the Monte Carlo Masters, Stefanos Tsitsipas talked at length about a variety of topics. In particular, the Greek acknowledged that the dominance of Djokovic and Nadal has made everyone habituated to their presence at the business end of tournaments.
"We're used to seeing Djokovic and Nadal go deep in the tournaments," Tsitsipas said. "They are getting older but it doesn't seem to bother them at all. They always find solutions to everything."
Stefanos Tsitsipas also suggested that the onus was on the younger players to step up and establish their presence in the sport.
"Just let the young guns show what they got," the Greek said.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is one of the leaders of the younger pack of players, and he has also been in great form this year. The Greek defeated Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open quarterfials from two sets to love down, before reaching the final at Acapulco and now at Monte Carlo.
But as Tsitsipas himself pointed out, the trio of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are still dominating the big events. The 'Big 3' have won 14 of the last 15 Grand Slams, despite being way past their peak years.
Over the last couple of years, most neutral tennis fans have been yearning for a young champion. But while the likes of Andrey Rublev, Alexander Zverev and Tsitsipas himself have come close to the top rankings, they are yet to beat the Big 3 when it matters the most.
"There is no reason for me to think about the rankings" - Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas was also asked during his presser whether his current ranking reflects his progress over the last year. But the Greek claimed he puts more emphasis on his overall level of play than his ranking, and he illustrated his point by drawing a parallel between tennis and studying in a school.
"I don't think about rankings," Tsitsipas said. "There is no reason for me to think about rankings. If I perform well, I'm going to get good results."
"It's like school," he added. "You go to school, you study, do your homework. When it's a test day, when you're supposed to give a test, you've done all your research, homework, everything combined to write a good grade."