Stefanos Tsitsipas makes feelings known on "emotional" loss to Novak Djokovic in Australian Open final
Stefanos Tsitsipas opened up on his loss to Novak Djokovic in the 2023 Australian Open final. Playing his second Grand Slam final against the Serb, he went down 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) fighting.
This was Tsitsipas' 11th defeat against Djokovic overall and second in the Majors finals. He previously fell 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the 2021 French Open.
The World No. 11 is currently on national duty at the 2025 United Cup and is scheduled to start for Greece against Spain in a Group C meeting on Saturday, December 28, in Perth.
The entire Greek squad fielded questions from the media ahead of the match-up. Upon being asked to reflect on the 2023 Australian Open final, Stefanos Tsitsipas suggested that he remembers the battle in good spirits despite being on the wrong side of the result against Djokovic. He said:
"It's funny enough, I was talking about it yesterday… It certainly is my best memory, let's say, on court ever. Even though I lost that final, it was such a big, important moment in my career because I was suddenly faced with perhaps a potential Grand Slam win and my all-time childhood dream, which was to finish No. 1 in the world."
"Both were right in front of me. It's probably the only time in my life that I felt like everything is really under my control and I just need to focus 100 percent. Unfortunately didn't happen. But the importance of it mesmerized me and made me kind of emotional that I'm getting so close to what I was dreaming for my entire life," he added.
Stefanos Tsitsipas' goal is to reach "final of Australian Open again"
In the same press interaction, Stefanos Tsitsipas revealed his two Australian hardcourt swing goals—to help Greece qualify for the 2025 United Cup knockouts and make it to the Melbourne Major title clash again. He said:
"My goal this week is to qualify for Sydney. I think this is something that our team deserves as the lineup of players that we have."
"Another goal that I have for the Aussie swing is try to replicate what I've done a few years back of maybe getting to the finals of the Australian Open again, which served as an incredible memory, the first one in my career in terms of having the opportunity to play at a Grand Slam final with the best that our sport has to offer, Novak Djokovic," he added.
Tsitsipas will play his opener against Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta on Saturday after his compatriot Maria Sakkari gets done with Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first singles match in the Group C tie.