Stefanos Tsitsipas on Novak Djokovic: "he's driven by a desire for vengeance."

Stefanos Tsitsipas discussed Novak Djokovic's mental strength on the tennis court in an interview.

The Greek player hasn't had the best results in recent months on the ATP Tour. Although he claimed the title at the ATP 250 Los Cabos Open in early August, he had disappointing exits in the Canadian Open (second round), Cincinnati Open (third round), and US Open (second round).

His defeat at Flushing Meadows came against the world No. 128 Dominic Stricker in a thrilling five-set match, with a score of 5-7, 7-6(2), 7-6(5), 6-7(8), 3-6. After that, he participated in the Davis Cup against Slovakia, where he won his first match against Lucas Klein but lost in doubles alongside his brother Petros Tsitsipas and later in the singles against Alex Molcan (113th).

As a result of these performances, Greece descended and will play in the play-offs for the World Group, while Slovakia will seek to advance to the World Group in February 2024.

During a visit to his country, the world No. 5 spoke with the Greek magazine Kathimerini and shared his impression of the 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and his mental ability to face challenges on the court:

"(Djokovic is) never happy. It's like he's always trying to prove something to someone. I don't know what and to whom. It's like he wants revenge. His eye shines," said Tsitsipas.

The Greek is one of the active players who has faced Djokovic the most in recent years, with an 11-2 head-to-head record in favor of the Serbian, meaning he has won 85% of their encounters.

Furthermore, two of these matches took place in Grand Slam finals, with Djokovic triumphing in the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open. In their last 10 meetings, Djokovic emerged victorious, with Tsitsipas' last win dating back to Shanghai in 2019.

This week, Tsitsipas was confirmed as one of the stars of Team Europe for the Laver Cup but withdrew at the last minute. He will be replaced by the Frenchman Arthur Fils (43rd).