"Novak Djokovic a very selfish person" - Stefanos Tsitsipas jokingly blames Serb for his lack of Grand Slam titles

Stefanos Tsitsipas has jokingly called Novak Djokovic a selfish person and blamed him for his lack of Grand Slam titles.

Djokovic is a 24-time Major winner. He has won 10 titles at the Australian Open, seven at the Wimbledon Championships, four at the US Open, and three at the French Open. Tsitsipas, on the other hand, has only managed to reach two finals, finishing as the runner-up in Paris (2021) and Melbourne (2023).

When asked by John McEnroe about his quest for a maiden Grand Slam title, Tsitsipas, in jest, said that Djokovic was a selfish player and that he needed to let other players win the big titles.

"I think numbers don't lie. Novak has been able to win here 12 times. He's a very selfish person. So I think if he just manages to wake up one day feeling less selfish and kind of 'sharing is caring more' type of vibe, then I guess...," Tsitsipas said with a smile.

"There are two scenarios [on how I can win a Grand Slam title], whether someone needs to be Novak that is not me or it has to be me. So we'll have to find a way, either way," he added.

Incidentally, both of Tsitsipas' Grand Slam final defeats have come at the hands of Djokovic. The Serb came from two sets down to win 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the 2021 French Open final. Last year, he beat the Greek player 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) to clinch the title Down Under.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas to face Luca Van Assche in 2024 Australian Open 3R

Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2024 Australian Open.

Stefanos Tsitsipas came from a set down to defeat Jordan Thompson and reach the third round of the 2024 Australian Open. The 25-year-old registered a hard-fought 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-2, 7-6(4) win in three hours and 36 minutes on Wednesday at the Margaret Court Arena.

The second set tie-break was the turning point of the match, as Tsitsipas leveled the score on his fourth set point and gained in confidence after that.

In all, he saved nine (of 11) break points and won 58 (of 77) points on his first serve. In his on-court interview after the win, Tsitsipas lauded Thompson for giving him a tough fight and expressed satisfaction with his own performance.

"The adrenaline and the rush that I got out of this match was insane tonight. You live for these kinds of matches. The intensity was there. We were both able to peak in terms of our tennis at some point during the match. Jordan was fighting. I was serving for the match, he had an incredible comeback," he said.

The World No.7 will next face Luca Van Assche, who beat 25th seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 3-6, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-0.