Daniil Medvedev has contradicted Stefanos Tsitsipas’ assertive claim that he views the ATP Finals as “bigger than a Grand Slam” in anticipation of the 2023 edition of the tournament.
The third-ranked player in the world acknowledged the exceptional competitiveness of the field in the year-end championships. However, he contended that the challenging seven-round, best-of-five set format in Grand Slam events makes securing victories in those tournaments more demanding.
In 2019, Tsitsipas triumphed over Dominic Thiem in the ATP Finals’ final, clinching the title in his debut appearance and having previously defeated Roger Federer in the semi-finals. Despite this initial success, the 25-year-old has not progressed beyond the round-robin stage in his three subsequent appearances, including a withdrawal due to injury after one match in 2021.
Although Tsitsipas has yet to secure a Grand Slam title, he reached the runner-up position at the 2021 French Open and this year’s Australian Open, losing to Novak Djokovic on both occasions.
Speaking ahead of his fifth ATP Finals appearance, Tsitsipas made the controversial claim that he places the season-ending event above the four Grand Slams.
“It’s a whole celebration. The ATP Finals is a commemoration and celebration of the best of the best in our sport. We all gather together and we get to play against each other and focus on the fact that we are the best in the world trying to fight for this mega trophy, which is a grand prize in our sport,” said the Greek.
“It means a lot. I would consider it probably a bigger thing than a Slam, honestly. It has big prestige and it’s a very valuable asset if you’re able to conquer and win it.”