Stefanos Tsitsipas has asserted that Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal “know better how to manage all the effort” required to win a major.
The world No 7 reflected on Grand Slam titles eluding him in his career so far and assessed that using “way too much energy” on court could be holding him back.
Tsitsipas has reached two Grand Slam finals – losing to Novak Djokovic in both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open title matches.
The Greek star led by two sets to love in the Roland Garros final, before the great Serb produced an impressive turnaround. He was then defeated in straight sets by Djokovic at the Melbourne major in January.
The 25-year-old’s biggest title to date came at the 2019 ATP Finals in London, where he overcame Dominic Thiem in a final set tiebreak in the final. He is also a two-time ATP Masters 1000 champion, having triumphed at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2021 and 2022.
Speaking to the media ahead of his appearance at the ATP 250 event in Antwerp this week, Tsitsipas discussed the challenge of winning a major title.
“Win a Grand Slam? I was close to succeeding in this challenge, I had my chances. Perhaps what I lacked was energy. I use way too much on a court. If you look at other champions like Djokovic, Federer and even Nadal, they know better how to manage all the effort that a Grand Slam requires,” said the Greek.
“The only time in my career when I was smart enough to handle all of this well was at the 2019 Masters (ATP Finals) and I won it. It takes a long time to master this management. But I’m still on the right track. I haven’t given up yet.”
The 10-time ATP titlist also spoke about his difficult recent run of form, which has seen him lose six of his last 10 matches.
“These last three, four months, I haven’t managed to gain many points, I admit. I relied a little too much on what I had learned,” explained the Greek.
“I thought I could also succeed by putting discipline aside a little, and focusing a little more on my talent. But that’s not how it works. Deep down, I feel like I want to turn things around with a good end to the season. I’m very hungry as I start this last indoor tour. I have never trained so much in my entire career.”
Tsitsipas will face Botic van de Zandschulp in his opening match in Antwerp on Thursday.
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