Tsitsipas: “Not making into the ATP Finals this year was a humbling experience”

Stefanos Tsitsipas ended up as an alternate at the season-ending championship this year

Michael Baucher / Panoramic

November 29, 2024

When winning becomes a habit, failures are hard to fathom.

Stefanos Tsitsipas seems to have experienced something similar after failing to qualify for this season’s ATP Finals, a tournament he had been competing in since triumphing at the tournament in 2019. He ended up as an alternate this year, having finished 11th in the Race to Turin.

And the failure has triggered deep introspection.

“Not making into the ATP Finals this year was a humbling experience, teaching me the value of resilience and perspective,” wrote Tsitsipas on Instagram.

Even though Tsitsipas fared decently well on the tennis court, winning the ATP Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo, playing the final in Barcelona and the quarter-final at Roland Garros. This, however, didn’t prove enough for the Greek to have an ending like in the five years gone by.

Perfection is an illusion.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas

“I strive for it, but I’ve learned that perfection doesn’t exist within me, and that’s okay,” he continued. “Even if you wish for it, it doesn’t come just by the thought of it. The real difference lies in execution and consistent effort.”

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A post shared by Stefanos Tsitsipas (@stefanostsitsipas98)

“Change isn’t necessarily a bad thing”

Further in his Instagram post, Tsitsipas hinted at his split from coach and father Apostolos in August following a shocking defeat against Japan’s Kei Nishikori at the Canadian Open.

“Change isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Tsitsipas wrote. “It’s a process that requires patience and commitment. Even if results don’t show right away. I trust that these changes will lead me to where I want to go.”

Since then, the former world No 3 has been training under countryman Dimitris Chatzinikolaou in a temporary arrangement.

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