Tsitsipas is into the Top 10, but he's not even close to satisfied

Stefanos Tsitsipas had a good week in Dubai, reaching the final to break into the Top 10 for the first time. And even though he didn't win the tournament, he did get to watch his idol Roger Federer win his 100th title.

Still, now he wants more.

“Just feels strange. I really want to win my first 500 title. I've been trying hard, very long now,” Tsitsipas told press at Dubai. “It's a bit sad. I'm a bit sad that I didn't manage to do it now. I'm actually pretty happy for Federer, as well. I know he has worked very hard to get there. I didn't want to give it to him. I'm happy that he had achieved what he achieved. It was completely different atmosphere. I don't know if it played big role in my performance, but I felt like the crowd was really cheering for him. I mean, that's obvious. He's a legend.”

Tsitsipas is now the youngest player in the Top 10, with 21-year-old German Alexander Zverev the second youngest. A former top junior, he has moved up consistently in the men's ranks. Back in October of 2017, he qualified and he reached the Top 100 in Antwerp, Belgium, defeating David Goffin in the quarters. A year ago, he was No. 71.

Recently, his climb has seemed even steeper. He just reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, defeating Federer, and won his second title at Marseille. But according to Tsitsipas, that initial step was tougher than his recent success.

“It was a step-by-step process. First I cracked into the Top 100. Then I had another goal of making the Top 50,” he said. “I would say the toughest thing, toughest achievement, was getting into the Top 100.

"If there was a moment where I would recall the toughest one was getting in the Top 100.”

“It felt like my game was flowing pretty well. I felt like I was improving every single time. I felt like I could break into the Top 10. Once I was inside the Top 100, I felt like I had the possibilities and the game to make it.”

Having won the title at Marseille the week before, the Greek youngster had played nine matches in two weeks, including a marathon against Gael Monfils that went to a third-set tiebreaker in the semfiinals of Dubai. That led to some concentration problems in the final for Tsitsipas, like the forehand errors he produced in the second set.

“Mentally mostly. Not so much physically,” Tsitsipas said. “Like, too much tennis.”

But he's not complaining as long as he's also doing a lot of winning.