"I will still be the same happy Stefanos": Grand Slams not be all and end all for Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas said that it wouldn't bother him much if he doesn't win a Grand Slam in his career.

The 24-year-old tennis player has been one of the standout performers in the past 5 years. In 2018, Tsitsipas won the Next Gen ATP Finals and was named the ATP Most Improved Player of the Year. In 2019, he claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo and has since remained in the top 10 rankings.

Tsitsipas reached the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open, but was defeated on both occasions by Novak Djokovic. In an interview with BLID magazine, the world No. 5 was asked if he believes he could reach the world No. 1 ranking before Alexander Zverev, and Tsitsipas expressed confidence in himself:

"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,” Tsitsipas said.

“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,” he added.

Tsitsipas, while comparing himself to Zverev, believes that he can win a Grand Slam before the German player. Zverev has already reached a Grand Slam final at the 2021 US Open, where he lost to Dominic Thiem after being up 2-0 in sets.

"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," claimed Tsitsipas.

"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.

Zverev and Tsitsipas have developed a significant rivalry in recent years. Since the beginning of their careers, they have been identified as potential successors to the Big Three in men's tennis. They have faced each other 12 times, with Tsitsipas holding a favorable record of 8-4 against Zverev.