Stefanos Tsitsipas said that he would be happy in case the Big Three miss the Australian Open, saying it would be a breakout tournament for younger players.
The Australian Open will mostly see Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer not participate. It is rare to see all three players not take part in a tournament, but it looks like that might be the case in Melbourne.
Federer is out with a knee injury, and has already confirmed his withdrawal. The participation of Djokovic and Nadal is yet to be confirmed, but with the players juggling vaccination issues and COVID-19 recovery respectively, the chances look slim.
However, Tsitsipas said that he would be happy in case the Big Three miss the Australian Open, saying that the spotlight will then be on the younger players.
“The rules are rules and the rules are established for a certain purpose and a reason, the 23-year-old said, as quoted by Yahoo Sport Australia.
“There are certain parameters that need to be followed to make things happen and if some players decide not to follow them it’s their choice.
“I wouldn’t say there’s right or wrong here. I was really looking forward to coming to Australia, so I followed whatever was necessary to come. The Australian summer is one of my favourite parts of the season, I just love being here.”
New blood
When asked if the Big Three situation was something fans had to get used to, the Greek player replied, “That is how it’s going to be generally in a few years time, potentially three years time..
“So getting used to it early … it’s pretty much the new reality and let’s see how tennis works out without the top three. I really want to see which players are going to prevail.
“We are able to bring tennis at a very high level; we have something different to offer than what Djokovic or Federer or Nadal have.
“I’m playing for myself and if young kids are inspired by what we do then we’ve done our job right.”
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