Stefanos Tsitsipas says he feels at home in Australia, reflects on career-defining moments ahead of maiden Grand Slam title hunt
After a successful 2022 season, Stefanos Tsitsipas is confident in his ability to reach new heights in 2023. The World No. 4 finished the year with a win-loss record of 61-24, winning the ATP 250 Mallorca Championships and the Monte Carlo Masters.
The Australian Open's official social media accounts recently released a video of a conversation with Tsitsipas, in which he states his admiration for the country. He mentions how much he identifies with the environment and people.
"Australia kind of feels like home to me. Coming here, I feel very familiar with its environment. I feel very comfortable staying here with the Australian people. I feel like I'm one with them," he said.
The 24-year-old reflected on two of the most thrilling wins of his entire career — against Roger Federer in 2019 and Rafael Nadal in 2021 in Australia. Tsitsipas beat Federer 6-7(11), 7-6(3), 7-5, 7-6(5) in the fourth round and called it his "most memorable match".
"Roger Federer on Rod Laver in 2019. I felt like I was dreaming and I was about to wake up at any moment, but I didn't. I couldn't sleep that night, at all. I could hear the crowd in my head at 2 am. It won't go away," he said.
During the quarterfinals in 2021, Nadal was leading 2-0 before Tsitsipas stepped up and fought back to win three consecutive sets, winning the match 3-6, 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4, 7-5.
"I came back from two-sets-to-love down and had to put in an incredible amount of effort and concentration to make it happen. And it was truly an unbelievable comeback. I've never had such a comeback in my career," Stefanos Tsitsipas said.
The youngster concluded by saying that he was headed in the right direction towards his aim of becoming the best.
"People ask me if I'm ready to win a Grand Slam. I won't really know until it happens. My dream was to be the best of my craft, and I'm very close to it. I'm heading towards the right direction," he concluded.
Story time with @steftsitsipas 🇬🇷 ⚡️ 🇦🇺 https://t.co/nVdoZgfh2N
Stefanos Tsitsipas' fixtures at the United Cup
Stefanos Tsitsipas will begin his 2023 season with the inaugural edition of the mixed-team tournament — the United Cup. The event will be held from December 29, 2022, to January 8, 2023, in Perth, Brisbane, and Sydney. Apart from Tsitsipas, Team Greece will have the services of Maria Sakkari, Petros Tsitsipas, Michail Pervolarakis, Stefanos Sakellaridis, Despina Papamichail, Valentini Grammatikopoulou, and Sapfo Sakellaridi.
Tsitsipas will face Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov on December 29, while he will lock horns with Belgium's David Goffin on January 2.