Despite getting beaten for the second time in a grand slam final by Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas doesn't see the Serbian as a curse to the sport.
Some could contend that having a player win consistently is bad for the sport, but Tsitsipas disagrees. The sport needs champions like Djokovic to continue doing what he is doing because it motivates everyone to improve.
Novak is a player that pushes you to your limits. I don't see this as a curse. I don't see this as annoying. This is very good for the sport, to have competitors like him, to have champions like him. He has made me a much better player. He has made my levels of concentration higher and higher every single time I get to play him. You have to be really involved and you have to be dedicated to the game when you play against him.
Losing is painful for Tsitsipas but he's not obsessing over it and considering this loss a step forward. It's a goal for him, one that he'll continue working towards. Another goal is to become world number one in the world. He had a chance today but fell up short.
I want to max out in what I do in my profession. No. 1 is on my mind. It doesn't come easy, I know that. I got to work harder to make that happen. Today was my opportunity to be a World No. 1. I had a better opponent on the other side of the net who did things much better than me. He deserves that spot currently."
He admitted to dreaming about lifting the trophy the previous night but it was not enough yesterday. Tsitsipas is excited about the future though as he much prefers playing finals over semi-finals although there is another step to take.
[It is] definitely much better playing finals than being stuck behind in the semi-finals. I'll take that for sure. I just need to take that one more step where I can consistently lift trophies and win Slams and Masters 1000 events.
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