{"id":21431,"date":"2025-01-23T03:30:08","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T03:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=21431"},"modified":"2025-01-23T03:30:08","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T03:30:08","slug":"stefanos-tsitsipas-reveals-secret-roger-federer-rafael-nadal-novak-djokovic-motivation-behind-atp-tour-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=21431","title":{"rendered":"Stefanos Tsitsipas reveals secret Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic motivation behind ATP Tour success"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic; Stefanos Tsitsipas – Source: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Stefanos Tsitsipas opened up about the expectations he had for himself early in his career in a podcast\u2002interview with the Tennis Insider Club. Reflecting on the transition from juniors to the professional circuit, the Greek tennis star discussed how he wanted to face the greats before they retired.<\/p>\n

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Tsitsipas revealed that he finished his junior career ranked number two in the ITF juniors but opted to skip the orange ball tournament to play pro tournaments which helped him boost his ranking and break into the top 400 by the time he finished his ITF juniors. Tsitsipas stated:<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I remember finishing the season number two in ITF juniors because I skipped orange ball. I decided not to play it, I went to play some pro tournaments instead. So at the time I was already ahead in terms of ranking. I was probably top 400 by the time I finished with ITF juniors, so that was a really good indication. And I was already kind of prepared for the next phase because I was combining both.\u201d [10:26]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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This phase of his career was all about grinding through smaller tournaments, gaining confidence, and building a strong foundation for future success. Then he shared his true motivation for why he broke onto the professional circuit so early.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut because Roger Federer was my idol, I really wanted to catch him before he retired. It\u2019s true, I have never really disclosed that before but I know was in a tricky phase situation where the top three still playing but obviously they are not the youngest anymore. So I was like, at least I want to play the top three before they retire or they stop. So I really want to be in a good situation ranking wise to do that,\u201d Stefanos Tsitsipas remarked.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Now a mainstay in the ATP\u2019s top rankings, the current World No. 12 spent four years in the top 10, reaching a career-high ranking of World No. 3.\u00a0Tsitsipas continues to chase his dreams, fueled by the same passion that drove him in his early years.<\/p>\n

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Stefanos Tsitsipas record against the \u2018Big 3\u2019<\/h2>\n
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Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2025 Australian Open – Source: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stefanos Tsitsipas has had a mixed record against the legendary trio of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, but his victories have been significant milestones in his career.<\/p>\n

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His wish eventually came true when\u00a0he faced Federer at the 2019 Australian Open, where he famously defeated him in the fourth round. A match that marked his breakthrough on the big stage. Tsitsipas has a head-to-head record of 2-2 against his idol.<\/p>\n

He has also had memorable battles against Nadal and Djokovic, proving his spot among the sport\u2019s elite.<\/p>\n

Tsitsipas also defeated Rafael Nadal on multiple occasions. One of his most memorable victories came in the\u00a02021 Australian Open quarterfinals<\/a>. The Greek has a 2-7 head-to-head record against Nadal.<\/p>\n

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While Novak Djokovic has often had the upper hand in their matchups, Tsitsipas has consistently posed a tough challenge. Their encounters in the 2021 French Open and 2023 Australian Open finals were fiercely contested, with Tsitsipas pushing Djokovic to his limits in both. The Serbian leads their head-to-head with 12-2.<\/p>\n

Despite the challenges, Stefanos Tsitsipas continues to refine his game and remains one of the few players capable of challenging the dominance of the Big 3.<\/p>\n

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Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic; Stefanos Tsitsipas – Source: Getty Stefanos Tsitsipas opened up about the expectations he had for himself early in his career… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennis"],"yoast_head":"\nStefanos Tsitsipas reveals secret Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic motivation behind ATP Tour success - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=21431\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stefanos Tsitsipas reveals secret Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic motivation behind ATP Tour success - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic; 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