Stefanos Tsitsipas aims for World Number 1 ahead of Western & Southern Open

Stefanos Tsitsipas said he is in great shape after he rose to World Number 3 in the FedEx ATP Rankings last week and is looking to push further up. He also mentioned that he is looking to have a strong run this week at the Western & Southern Open after reaching the semi-finals at the National Bank Open in Toronto.

Tsitsipas has recorded 45 victories this season, which is the current tour lead and that in turn has helped him reach his goal of cracking the top three but Tsitsipas is aiming for higher in the coming weeks, saying that his next step is the number 1 spot.

“No. 3 is a number that is very significant and it holds a big importance,” Tsitsipas said in his pre-tournament press conference. “You don't get many exciting moments like this in your career. I saw it come out, and I felt overwhelmed by it. It was a great feeling. It adds some value to yourself for the efforts that you have put in to get there. It kind of pushes me so much to sustain that, to want to go the extra mile in the next tournaments, and that was my initial goal from the beginning of the year, to make it into the top three. Now the second phase of that goal is to remain there. The rankings are there for a reason. They signify something important. I think that the very next step would be the No. 1 spot, which I hope I can get to one day.”

Tsitsipas talks about the upcoming ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati

The 23-year-old then talked about his expectations for the upcoming Western & Southern Open, saying he wants to go as far as he can in the tournament while playing good tennis, he said that he is not aiming for titles but rather get to the stage of a tournament where he would be able to get a lot of points. The highest number of points are awarded in the semi-finals and finals and Tsitsipas acknowledged that he knows about this and that his goal is to do well once he gets to those stages.

“My top priority is getting far into the tournament, playing good tennis,” Tsitsipas said. “I have said it, I'm not aiming for titles. I'm not aiming to go and win every single one of them. I want to get to the stage of a tournament where I'm able to get a lot of points. I am aiming for the big points. I know that most of the big points are (from the) semi-finals onwards. That's where you get the most amount of points, and I want to be aiming for that. If I reach the very first goal of it, I'm not going (to) stop. I'm still going to continue doing the things that I have been doing well from that point onwards.”

Adapt game to find balance

Finally, Tsitsipas said that he understands the change in playing conditions in every tournament is different and that one has to adjust their game to adapt to the conditions of the area and so he is trying to change his game so that he has as low as possible adjustment time giving him the advantage of playing more.

“I know for a fact that all these events have different kinds of conditions to be adjusting to,” Tsitsipas added. “Some of the places are a bit more humid. My top priority is finding that balance, finding that quick adjustment from switching from one tournament to the next without massive gaps or holes in my game.”

(Image Credits: @steftsitsipas - Twitter)