Stefanos Tsitsipas says ‘criticism is important’ in quest to ‘achieve perfection’ as prepares for 2023 Australian Open

Stefanos Tsitsipas believes criticism is an important factor in his quest to “achieve perfection”.

World No. 4 Tsitsipas recorded the most wins on the ATP Tour this year (61) and also won two titles.

However, his wait for a first Grand Slam title continued as he made the Australian Open semi-finals but failed to make it past the fourth round of any of the other three majors.

As he prepares for the 2023 season, Tsitsipas has spoken about how he tries to stay positive.

“Criticism is important – I like receiving it,” he told RedBull.com

“When I was younger, I was very sensitive to it, but as I’ve got older I think it’s essential. It’s the only way you can achieve perfection. I mean, perfection doesn’t really exist, but you can get close.

“That also comes with your attitude to what you do. If you do it with love and care, if you wake up every morning and do the best things to succeed in what you do, with people who are chasing that same dream, anything is possible. With your mind, you can achieve everything you want in life. That’s where it all starts. It all starts with an idea.”

Tsitsipas believes patience is one of his key strengths – and referenced two matches against Rafael Nadal to show how it has improved in recent years.

In 2019 he lost to Nadal in straight sets in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. Two years later he came back from two sets down to beat Nadal at the same tournament.

“There were two times when I found myself in the same situation with the same opponent, but [it was] a different Stefanos each time,” said Tsitsipas.

“The first time I faced Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open in the semi-finals I was really impatient. I remember thinking, ‘OK, I’m playing against one of the best. I really need to prove myself with big shots and go for it’.

“Two years later, I faced him again at the same tournament, this time in the quarter-finals. After going two sets down, I understood what I was doing wrong.

“I remember coming to an agreement with myself, saying, ‘OK, you’re going to become patient. You’re going to wait. You’re going to spend every single minute on the court enjoying the play and just make it a fun game’. It turned out to be one of the best comebacks in my career so far.”

Asked how his performance against Nadal in 2021 felt, Tsitsipas said: “It felt like I was in a cage and someone decided to unlock it. I suddenly felt free. Every decision I went for felt right. It’s what I like to call flow. I was able to reach that flow by decreasing my expectations.

“It was a pure fight. It was all mental. It was excruciating, physically and mentally – I don’t think I’ve ever played at such high focus levels for so long.

“Everything felt like it made sense. It’s like a drug when you’re able to experience it – it brings you to another level. You’re not playing with your skill any more, you’re playing with your soul.”

Tsitsipas has made the Australian Open semi-finals for three of the last four years.

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