Stefanos Tsitsipas: "Novak Djokovic has a very big presence and it's tough to avoid that"

World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas has said that facing Novak Djokovic on the court is challenging due to the Serb's 'big presence'. His comments came ahead of the 2023 ATP Finals.

Tsitsipas won the year-end tournament at his debut in 2019. He is drawn into the Green Group in this year's edition alongside Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, and Holger Rune.

Stefanos Tsitsipas spoke with the ATP Tour before beginning his campaign in Turin, Italy, and discussed playing Novak Djokovic in a group-stage encounter. He analyzed the 24-time Grand Slam champion's on-court approach and stated that it is 'tough' to ignore his 'presence.'

"Novak has a very big presence when you're facing him and you can certainly feel it's tough to avoid that presence," Tsitsipas said. "He has very good body language and his mental state and clarity when he plays is something you can really see that he's very focused in the task and in the goal that he carries with him."

"This is something rare in tennis and there aren't a lot of players that you can actually say that about them. He definitely has that intensified in his game. And that is something that I have absorbed and felt when playing him," the 25-year-old added.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas believes playing in ATP Finals is 'extremely close' to playing in a Grand Slam

Stefanos Tsitsipas pictured at the Nitto ATP Finals 2023

Stefanos Tsitsipas stated that competing in the ATP Finals is 'extremely close' to playing in a Grand Slam tournament. He explained that this is primarily due to the fact that even if a player is ranked World No. 200, he or she can still compete in a Major, but not the year-end tournament.

"I do believe that the [Nitto] ATP Finals come extremely close to a Slam experience. A Grand Slam you get to play even if you're No.200 in the World, but not many people can say that they've played the Nitto ATP Finals," the Greek said.

"So for me, it has a significant importance. And it carries a lot of legacy and a lot of history with it. To be playing in such an event, very few people can brag about," he added.

Tsitsipas will face home favorite Jannik Sinner in his opener on Sunday (November 12). The two have met seven times on the tour, with the 2023 Australian Open finalist holding a 5-2 head-to-head advantage. Their most recent encounter was in the fourth round of this year's ABN AMRO Open, which the Italian won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.