ROLEX PARIS MASTERS

October 31, 2021

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I know this season hasn't finished yet, but I wonder, when you look back, you have obviously had a great year, No. 3 in the world, you have been in the final of a Grand Slam, but looking ahead to next year, what are the sort of things you think you still need to work on?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: There are a few things that I can develop and get better at, become more professional, as well. Eager to go that extra level and put more attention to details and focus on a few things that might benefit me overall.

Every single year I'm trying to add something new and keep my best qualities and maybe remove few things from outside or inside the court that might be either distracting or not as beneficial as I might think. So this is something that I have in my mind for next season, and I really want to put that into consideration.

Q. I wanted to ask you about the Grand Slams this year. You obviously had a great Australian Open, a fantastic French Open. Do you think, did the disappointment of not winning in Paris, did that affect you in Wimbledon and at the US Open?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: A little bit, yes.

Q. Obviously you have had a lot of success at the end of the year in the past. How important is it to you to sort of try to peak as there are still some big tournaments left in the season?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I have two more left, and I'm trying to give my last breath on the court and become more of, I don't know, selfish player on the court, and unveil my killer attitude on the court.

Q. When you say that, how important is that against, especially at a Masters 1000 like Paris and when you go to Turin, how key is that against the very top players in the world?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: You have to be this way. The best players in the world, you know they are very selfish and they want everything for themselves, and I'm this way too. When I'm on the court I'm not mixing it up with my outside life, and I'm able to separate those two.

I think once you become soft and start kind of getting into your emotions and feeling many things at once, doesn't really -- it's not really good for you. So blocking all of that and letting it pass through and just being able to stay in the moment, these are some qualities that top players have developed and are able to compete at such level, not really care of what's happening on the other side of the court.

Yeah, I think it's just grinding your teeth and wanting to thrive. That is something that I kind of feel like I'm, not very much, but I feel like I'm lacking a bit less than I did before, and trying to regenerate it.

Q. I wanted to ask you about playing Daniil. I know you have beaten him two of the last three times that you have played, but can you talk about just the tremendous challenge it is to play him and what he does so well? And if he has any weaknesses that you can exploit?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: Well, Daniil has really like perfected the game that he's playing that not many players can play. I mean, to call him "octopus" was for a reason. He's just able to get balls that not many people are able to.

He's a very quiet person. I got to know him a little bit more during Laver Cup. He doesn't talk much. I think it was just like -- it was interesting to see that side of him. He has done very well this year. We all saw what he did at the US Open. And, I mean, at his best he can play against any player and able to get to any ball.

He's one of the most difficult opponents on the tour, and I guess, you know, I'm able to learn from him, as well.