Tsitsipas achieves all of his 2019 goals

With Stefanos Tsitsipas’ 2019 season now complete, AGONAsport looks back at how the Greek star achieved all four of his goals for the year.

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Prior to the start of the season, the youngster from Athens, then ranked 15 in the world, announced his four goals for 2019. They included reaching the semifinals at a Grand Slam tournament, breaking into the top 10, qualifying for the ATP Finals in London, and winning an ATP Masters 1000 level tournament.

1. REACH THE SEMIFINALS OF A GRAND SLAM - DONE

Tsitsipas was able to do this at this season’s first Grand Slam, at the Australian Open back in January. He became the first Greek to ever make it to the semifinals of a Grand Slam in singles at the professional level, beating two-time defending champion Roger Federer along the way.

2. BREAK INTO THE TOP 10 - DONE

On March 4, Tsitsipas found himself ranked inside the top 10 for the first time in his career, when the new ATP rankings were released. He is currently ranked number six, though he reached a career-high ranking of five in the world back on August 5.

3. QUALIFY FOR ATP FINALS - DONE

Needing to be in the top 8 of the “Race to London” (year-to-date rankings) by the cutoff date in early November, Tsitsipas secured qualification on October 11. After his win against then-number one Novak Djokovic in Shanghai, Tsitsipas had accumulated 3,730 points throughout the season, and it was no longer mathematically possible for him to finish outside the top 8. Tsitsipas eventually finished the “Race to London” in sixth place with 4,000 points.

4. WIN AN ATP MASTERS 1000 EVENT - DONE

Tsitsipas competed in all nine Masters 1000 tournaments this year, with his best results including a runner-up finish in Madrid, and making the semifinals in both Rome and Shanghai. Although he did not win any of these events, he won the season-ending ATP Finals in London, which is far more prestigious than any Masters 1000 event. Therefore, it can be said that this goal was achieved, as Tsitsipas accomplished something of greater significance by winning the ATP Finals, which is known as the hardest tournament to win (arguably even when including Grand Slams). This is mainly because only the top 8 players qualify, so each and every match is extremely difficult to win.

This is the second year in a row that Tsitsipas not only publicized what his goals for the season were, but also achieved all of them. In 2018, the Greek’s goals were to break into the top 50, reach the round of 16 at a Grand Slam, and win his first ATP title. Now that his 2018 and 2019 goals were met, Tsitsipas can look forward to 2020. Although he is yet to announce his goals, they could include winning a Grand Slam tournament, winning an Olympic medal, and perhaps improving his ATP ranking to the top three or even becoming number one.

by Andrew Stamas

Image Source: sportime.gr

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