Stefanos Tsitsipas has claimed that he is aiming to surpass his girlfriend Paula Badosa's career-best ranking of world No. 2.
Tsitsipas has achieved a lot this season, from reaching the final of the Australian Open to lifting his 10th ATP title today, August 6, at the Los Cabos Open, where he defeated Alex de Minaur in straight sets.
Speaking in a press conference after this latest victory, the current world No. 5 stated that his goal was to overtake his girlfriend's highest ranking position, thus indicating that he wants to achieve world No. 1 in the ATP singles rankings.
"My goals are to surpass Paula's best ranking, which is World No. 2. And to get better than that I'm..." he said whilst laughing.
The Greek player explained that the couple has a healthy rivalry, which he claimed is helping them to stay motivated in their careers.
"The good thing about us is that we get competitive in those things in a healthy way so I hope I get to equal it [the No. 2 ranking] or even better," he added.
The 24-year-old is certainly moving in the right direction to do so, as on Monday, August 6, he will move up to No. 4 in the rankings, overtaking Norway's Casper Ruud.
Badosa rose to No. 2 on April 25, 2022, when she was just 2000 points away from world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who remains at the top over a year later.
The Spaniard achieved the second spot after winning her third WTA title at the 2022 Sydney tennis classic, reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time and making it to the semi-finals of the 2022 Stuttgart Open.
However, the 25-year-old went on to lose eight out of her last ten matches in the season and this year she dropped out of the top 25. Nevertheless, she is still in the top 40, currently ranked at No. 33.
Tsitsipas and Badosa have been in a relationship since May 2023, and the pair share an Instagram account which combines their names to make @tsitsidosa.
Stefanos Tsitsipas says his goal is to pass Paula Badosa’s best ranking: “My goals are to surpass Paula's best ranking, which is World No. 2. The good thing about us is that we get competitive in those things in a healthy way so I hope I get to equal it or even better.”
