Stefanos Tsitsipas determined to chase unusual tennis history at ATP Finals
Stefanos Tsitsipas will attempt to make ATP history when he gets his ATP Finals campaign underway.
The Greek, who won the tournament in 2019, can become the first ever player to reach world number one without winning a Grand Slam if things go his way.
His chances are slim, but it’s till possible. He must win the tournament without losing a single match to become world number one. Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, can finish they year on the top of the rankings if he reaches the final after an undefeated round robin stage, or wins the title.
Should neither of them do it, current world number one Carlos Alcaraz will retain his ranking.
Tsistipas has had a similar opportunity before at the US Open, but he lost in the first round as the pressure got to him. He is determined to make a better fist of it this time, though.
“I was very motivated and pumped before the US Open started because I knew I could use this tournament to get closer to the number one spot,” Stefanos Tsitsipas said.
“It would be very weird and very unusual if it didn’t cross my mind, because this is something I wanted since I was a kid and I know this is my chance now to step it up.
“It just didn’t go as planned. Sometimes you just need to let it go, you don’t need to overthink it, you don’t need to push yourself too hard but at the same time it’s difficult because there’s this open opportunity right in front of you, you don’t want to mess it up, you don’t want to waste it.
“My chances, I guess, are a bit smaller. The margin is not as thin as it used to be now after the US Open but I’m still going to try and add points to my ranking, as much as I can until the end of the year.”
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