Go Big Or Go Home, Says Tsitsipas, Who Wants To Stay In Turin

Don’t expect Stefanos Tsitsipas to retreat into his shell after beginning his 2023 Turin campaign with a straight-sets loss to Jannik Sinner.

As the Greek notes, a key benefit of the tournament’s round-robin format is that it allows players to stay alive even in defeat. Case in point is 2019, when Tsitsipas dropped a round-robin match to Rafael Nadal but went on to claim the title.

“That’s the beauty of Nitto ATP Finals; it’s not over until it’s really over,” the World No. 6 said. “You can always re-bounce and you can always come back. It’s a good format. It allows for great competition and for some good comebacks that we don’t really see in the sport because our tour is based on knockout rounds, a single opportunity in every tournament.”

With his chances still alive of capturing a second Nitto ATP Finals title, Tsitsipas says that he will play freely and aggressively.

“I enjoy playing in fast surfaces much more now than I did years ago,” he said. “I think my tennis suits fast surfaces way more than it did slower. My shots are big. I can hit big shots.

“I see this tournament for me also as an opportunity for me to grow my game through maybe bigger risks. Why not? It’s a great tournament and I really want to do well here.”

Tsitsipas paid tribute to Sinner’s impressive serving after the Italian dropped just 10 points en route to a 6-4, 6-4 win. “He definitely has improved his serve, and he showed it today on the court,” he said.

“There wasn’t much I could do. I was trying to guess sometimes. He serves really close to the lines, to the corners.

“I’m not the Elastic Girl from the superheroes to be behind these balls. I tried my best, and he played a very good quality match from his side.”