Stefanos Tsitsipas wants to have a career as long as Roger Federer's, says his goal is to create the best possible memories
Stefanos Tsitsipas was born in 1998, the same year that Roger Federer turned pro. In the 22 years since, Federer has broken several records while claiming 20 Grand Slam titles, and this week the 39-year old returns to the tour after more than a year on the sidelines.
Roger Federer's longevity is considered by many to be a modern miracle, but Stefanos Tsitsipas hopes to emulate it some day.
"No one knows what will happen until then, but I would like a career like Roger Federer," Tsitsipas responded when asked how he imagined himself at the age of 40. "I don’t mean what he has achieved, I mean I would like to have a career as long as his."
Stefanos Tsitsipas, who will move to No. 5 in the ATP rankings on Monday, further revealed that he hopes to put together a treasure chest of happy memories in the years ahead.
"My goal is to create the best possible memories and moments on and off the court," the Greek said. "My hope is that when I look back to those moments, they will bring me joy and I will feel that I gave it my best, that I had the opportunity to learn something new and to mature as an athlete, every day."
I wanted to prove that we can play tennis in Greece as well: Stefanos Tsitsipas
During the interview Stefanos Tsitsipas also talked about looking up to Roger Federer and Marcos Baghdatis while growing up, as Greece lacked a player in the upper echelons of the sport back then.
"I remember that as a child I had idols, tennis players I wanted to be like and I was sad that a country like Greece didn’t have a top athlete," Tsitsipas said. "We had Konstantinos Economidis (former Greek No. 1 who peaked at No. 112 in the rankings), whom I supported when I was young."
"But we never had a tennis player in the Top 50 or 100, someone who would achieve good results in Grand Slams and promote the sport in the country," he added. "There was, of course, Marcos Baghdatis, whom I watched and loved very much. He was my favorite, after Roger Federer, of course, who was my idol and the one I wanted to be like."
Stefanos Tsitsipas went on to assert that the lack of top Greek tennis players fueled his drive to make a name for himself and his country on the international arena.
"I wished so much for something to be done in Greece, for there to be a good tennis player one day and that probably made me tougher," Tsitsipas said. "I wanted to prove that we can play tennis in Greece as well. "
"So I went out and over the years I managed to get some results and raise the level of tennis in Greece," he added. "It was a big dream of mine and a great need for tennis to come to the forefront."