Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas thinks he owes Russian rival Andrey Rublev an apology for what he said about himself after the loss in the ATP Finals. According to Stefanos himself, he was trying to motivate his comrade to perform well in his next match, which would give him a better chance of progressing.
In terms of context, he lost to Andrey Rublev early in the 2022 ATP Finals and failed to make it past the round-robin stage. For this reason, Tsitsipas could not enter the top 3 at the end of the season. Andrey Rublev lost to Casper Ruud in the semi-finals. Naturally, after the disappointing game, Tsitsipas openly said that he felt that he was a better and more creative player that day compared to Rublev.
The comment instantly went viral on major social media platforms and sparked a lot of backlash online. As expected, it didn’t quite fit most of the audience there, and Tsitsipas’ statement against Rublev was criticized on various social media platforms.
He responded to the criticism with a post he made on his official Instagram account. “Dear haters, I have more to be angry with you. Be patient,” He wrote.
The 24-year-old actor admitted that his statement two weeks later was inappropriate and even revealed how he looked at the situation from a completely different angle.
“I’ve seen this from a kind of different approach; As he entered his next match (against Casper Rudd), I wanted him to go crazy trying to play even better.,” he explained. He even claimed that this would help him maintain 3rd place in the ranking.
“I think it was wrong to do that because, I don’t know, he didn’t perform, I saw the match and I don’t think he performed as well as I expected him to.‘ he added.
As for the apology, he praised Andrey largely by talking about his techniques, game plans, and strength on the pitch. Over the past few seasons, Rublev and Tsitsipas have forged a new rivalry on the court, and their round-level encounters are now evenly split. He also compared Rublev to Marat Safin.
“I Do not think that he is limited in his game, I think he has been touring himself for many years because he can compete against the best. One of the most disciplined guys out there who is very professional towards his job. He’s such a funny guy, he’s such a good soul, I enjoy being around him. He is extremely friendly and likes to make fun of himself.“Continuing the chain of thought, Tsitsipas also added.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas does not believe the theory that he could be part of the next Big Three
Despite being touted as the next Big Three, Stefanos Tsitsipas does not believe he could be a part of the Big Three alongside Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev. He even questioned whether he would be as successful as the tennis icons of his generation: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
After Roger Federer’s retirement, the race to fill those shoes began among the current generation of gamers. From current World Number 1 Carlos Alcaraz to wonder boy Holger Rune, the next generation of kids is all ready to cement themselves as one of the toughest names in tennis.
However, while the Greek star has yet to add a Grand Slam to his name, he once reached the top 3 and is eager to go further. After an incredible 2022 season, Stefanos Tsitsipas is seen as an ideal candidate to fill a place for the next Big Three.
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