Stefanos Tsitsipas insists he actually loves Novak Djokovic’s presence as the Serb’s dominance is pushing him to work harder.
Tsitsipas, 24, suffered a straight-set defeat to Djokovic in the Australian Open final.
In the 2021 French Open final, Tsitsipas was up by two sets before Djokovic created a stunning comeback to beat the Greek.
Tsitsipas is now 0-2 in his Grand Slam finals.
Also, Tsitsipas has lost his last nine meetings against Djokovic.
“Novak is a player that pushes you to your limits. I don’t see this as a curse. I don’t see this as something, like, annoying. This is very good for the sport, to have competitors like him, to have champions like him. I find it a very important part of my career, to have a player like him that will help me grow better and do bigger things, speaking for my game,” Tsitsipas said of Djokovic, per Sportskeeda.
Tsitsipas called Djokovic ‘the GOAT’ but later clarified himself
After losing to Djokovic in the Australian Open final, Tsitsipas declared the Serb as the greatest player of all time.
Later in his press conference, Tsitsipas backtracked on his comments and said it’s a blessing to have had three great champions such as Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
“I think we’re blessed that we have three big champions like this. I don’t want to give the whole title to him, because I believe there are other players that have contributed a lot, and they’re the main reason I am here today as well. Novak is one of them, too. I’ve been watching him as a kid, as well. I really liked the way he did things on the court with his game,” Tsitsipas said.
Tsitsipas didn’t only miss out on a chance to become a Grand Slam champion, he also missed out on a chance to replace Carlos Alcaraz at the top spot.
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