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Stefanos Tsitsipas might have a Grand Slam as his ultimate goal but by his own admission, the lack of one will not haunt the Greek like it does many.
The World No. 5 had a lukewarm clay swing that ended with a quarterfinal exit at the French Open at the hands of Carlos Alcaraz. Tsitsipas has now turned his attention to the grass swing, where he opens his campaign at the Stuttgart Open against Richard Gasquet.
Speaking to BILD magazine ahead of the encounter, the 24-year-old touched on a lot of topics, including whether he thought he could become the World No. 1 before German superstar Alexander Zverev.
If he had to bet, Stefanos Tsitsipas would pick himself in that race, even if he had plenty of nice things to say about Zverev. With the former World No. 2 finally reaching his pre-injury levels once again, as evidenced by his semifinal-run at Roland Garros, Tsitsipas wished him well on his recovery.
"If I could bet money, I would bet it on myself. Of course I see myself as number 1 at some point. The competition is tough, of course. Zverev was out for a long time with his serious injury, I played all that time. I wish him the best that he recovers quickly. Such injuries are painful – physically and psychologically. It's never not nice to see a competitor stumble so badly and be out for so long," Stefanos Tsitsipas said.
As for whether he thought he could win a Grand Slam title before Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas picked himself once again, while at the same time making it clear that he did not want the pursuit of a Major to become an obsession for him.
While Tsitsipas has two Slam runner-up finishes to his name (2021 French Open and 2023 Australian Open), Zverev has one Slam runner-up trophy to boast of (2020 US Open).
"I relied on myself again. But if I don't manage to win a Grand Slam, I will still be the same happy Stefanos that I am today. I don't want this to become an obsession. It's a goal, a dream, yes," Stefanos Tsitsipas said.
Stefanos Tsitsipas: I think there are more differences than similarities between me and Alexander Zverev
Stefanos Tsitsipas also spoke about the similarities he observed between him and Alexander Zverev, opining that they were very different. Right from their respective playstyles to the level of aggression they displayed on the court, the Greek was of the opinion that he and Zverev had more differences than similarities between them.
"The biggest difference? I gave a lot to look like him for the first time in my career (smiles). Seriously, I think we're very different. He's someone who likes to play from the baseline and is very strong from there, capable of rallies," Stefanos Tsitsipas said.
"I can be very creative with my slices, top spins, fly balls. It's not about worse or better. I just grew up with a completely different style of tennis. I think there are more differences than similarities," he added.
The duo have locked horns on 12 occassions on the ATP Tour, with Tsitsipas leading the head-to-head 8-4. Their most recent encounter at the 2022 Rome Masters also went in favor of the World No. 5.
