Stefanos Tsitsipas recalled his maiden ATP Finals triumph by declaring it "the greatest joy" of his tennis career simply because it turned out to be a fairytale campaign.
In 2019, a 21-year-old Tsitsipas earned a place at the season-ending tournament for the first time in his career. Going into the Final-8 event, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were all playing and considered the top favorites for the title. But it was the Greek debutant who ended up taking the main prize.
That year, Tsitsipas kicked off his ATP Finals campaign with back-to-back wins over Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev. While the Greek lost to Nadal in his group-stage finale, he still reached the knock-out stage - where he impressively upset Federer in the semifinal and also beat Dominic Thiem in the final.
Tsitsipas: Winning the ATP Finals in my debut was my greatest tennis joy
On Sunday - which was the day of this year's final in Turin - the former world No. 3 recounted his own triumph at the prestigious season-ending tournament.
"Six years ago, I experienced my greatest joy as a tennis player, winning the ATP Finals on my debut. It was especially beautiful sharing the stage with Domi, my best friend on tour. The high may have worn off, but I will do everything to ride it again," the 27-year-old wrote on X.
Tsitsipas made four moreappearances in the Final-8between 2020 and 2023, but hasn't made the season-ending tournament in the last two seasons. The Greek failed to make it past the Round Robin stage in each of his last four appearances at the event.
