Stefanos Tsitsipas knows what it takes to win the Nitto ATP Finals. After claiming the title in London in his 2019 debut, the Greek is looking forward to making new memories in Turin, where his 2021 showing was cut short by an elbow injury.
If the second seed can recapture the year-end title as an undefeated champion, he will finish the season atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time.
“I’m actually very determined and extremely privileged to be in a position to be fighting for the World No. 1 spot, because it’s always been a dream of mine since I was a little kid to be crowned World No. 1,” he told ATP Media ahead of the event.
“It would definitely mean a lot. It’s an amazing thing to accomplish something like this. I’m going to try to be relaxed, enjoy the process of it, not think too much of the destination, but the journey is the one that matters the most. In this case, playing good tennis and enjoying myself out on the court is much more important than obsessing over that World No. 1 title, which might come now or come later. It’s more of a marathon than a sprint.”
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While the Greek admitted nerves about his opportunity to reach No. 1 contributed to his first-round exit at the US Open — where a title would have lifted him to the top spot — he enters Turin with a fresh mindset, full of confidence after a consistent season in which he captured two titles and won a tour-leading 60 matches.
“I’m feeling very good with my body and my game,” he said. “I’m glad to be here fighting for something prestigious in this type of an event. I’ve earned my spot playing consistent tennis throughout the entire year with good results on pretty much all surfaces. It turned out better than I thought it would, and I’m happy now, sitting in this chair, being part of the eight best players in the world.”
The two-time defending Monte Carlo champion far outpaced his own expectations early in the year as he reached the Australian Open semi-finals just two months after surgery on his dominant elbow.
“I was not thinking of the best things at the time and my mind was very much occupied with how I am going to recover from that, how I’m going to come back stronger,” Tsitsipas explained. “I honestly didn’t have any expectations during the beginning of the year. I thought I’m going to pick up later during the year, perhaps…
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