Stefanos Tsitsipas stated that he would rather be world No. 1 than win a Grand Slam.
The Greek player is currently competing in the ATP 250 Los Cabos Open, where he advanced from his debut match against John Isner and will now face Nicolas Jarry in the quarterfinals. Chilean athlete had defeated Tsitsipas in the Halle Open two weeks before participating in Wimbledon.
In an interview with 'El Universal Deportes,' Tsitsipas expressed his preference for holding the world No. 1 ranking over winning a Grand Slam.
Despite being one of the active players who have reached Grand Slam finals without a victory, Tsitsipas has shown consistent performance in major tournaments. He has suffered two final defeats, one at the 2021 French Open and the other at the 2023 Australian Open.
Other players who have reached Grand Slam finals without winning include Jo-Wilfred Tsonga (1), Alexander Zverev (1), Nick Kyrgios (1), Matteo Berretini (1), Milos Raonic (1), Kei Nishikori (1), Kevin Anderson (2), and Casper Ruud (3).
“I would trade a Grand Slam title to be #1. It's something special & a sign that you reached the maximum in your career & I love when you're able to maximize everything. That way, 1 day I can tell my grandchildren I was #1,” Tsitsipas said.
As of now, the world No. 5 is quite far from the top spot with 4850 points, still trailing behind Carlos Alcaraz (9225) and Novak Djokovic (8795).
Throughout the Open Era, 56 players have won a Grand Slam title, while only 28 have reached the world No. 1 ranking. Interestingly, only one player managed to reach the top spot without ever winning a Grand Slam in his career.
This exceptional achievement belongs to Chilean tennis player Marcelo Ríos, who spent a total of 6 weeks at the pinnacle of the rankings in 1998.
Despite not winning any Grand Slam, Ríos captured seven titles, including three Master Series titles (equivalent to today's Masters 1000 events). He also reached the final of the Australian Open, where he suffered a defeat against Petr Korda.
Stefanos Tsitsipas would rather be world #1 than win a Slam: “I would trade a GS title to be #1. It's something special & a sign that you reached the maximum in your career & I love when you're able to maximize everything. That way, 1 day I can tell my grandchildren I was #1”
