Stefanos Tsitsipas - "I would love to have friends on tour; I just don’t feel like I relate to a lot of them"
World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas recently revealed that he would love to have some friends on the ATP tour.
Tsitsipas began his 2023 season on a high note as his team Greece advanced to the semifinals of the inaugural United Cup, a mixed-gender team tournament. He is currently competing in the 2023 Australian Open, reaching the quarterfinals to set up a clash with Jiri Lehecka.
En route to the last eight, Tsitsipas defeated Quentin Halys, Rinky Hijikata, Tallon Griekspoor and Jannik Sinner for the loss of just two sets.
The 24-year-old was recently featured on GQ's list of "7 Young Stars Poised to Take Over Tennis," where he spoke about how he can't relate to many players on the tour but would still like to be friends with them.
"I would love to have friends on tour. I just don’t feel like I relate to a lot of them, in terms of how I approach life," Tsitsipas said.
"It always reminds me of home a little bit when I'm here, the conditions are similar" - Stefanos Tsitsipas on playing in Melbourne
Stefanos Tsitsipas said in his press conference following his win over Jannik Sinner that playing in Melbourne reminded him of home because the weather conditions are very familiar to where he grew up.
"I grew up in a climate that is very similar here, from the place I come from in southwestern Attica. It always reminds me of home a little bit when I'm here. The conditions are similar. It's not very humid, it's not very tropical. I can say it's similar to the Athenian Riviera," Tsitsipas said.
The 24-year-old added that he sees a lot of Greek faces in Melbourne, which helps him feel connected.
"Another reason, another plus is wherever I look I see Greek faces, I see Greek people speaking Greek. Of course, it's very important when you're far away from home to have that sort of feeling, to connect even more with the culture that you're at," he said.
The Greek went on to state that he considers the Australian Open his "home slam" because Melbourne has the second largest Greek population after Athens.
"It feels very welcoming when you're able to walk around and feel that. It's for sure my home slam, I would consider that, yes, 'cause Melbourne is the second-biggest city after Athens with the biggest Greek population. I would consider it my home slam," Tsitsipas said.
The World No. 4 then reiterated that the Australian Open was like home for him.
"The French people have Roland Garros, the Brits have Wimbledon, the Americans have US Open. For me it's the Australian Open," he said.