Hey there, fellow tennis enthusiasts It’s your girl Mia Johnson-Carter from Miami, and I’m here to share some amazing news from the world of tennis. Today, we’re diving into a story that’s got everyone talking: Stefano Tsitsipas crowning Rafael Nadal as the greatest athlete in history.
Stefano Tsitsipas, the Greek tennis sensation, has been making waves lately. Despite a disappointing season where he slipped out of the top 10, he’s still one of the stars in the ATP circuit. Recently, Tsitsipas was in Turin for the ATP Finals as one of the reserves ready to take the place of the eight protagonists in case of injury. During a training session, he was interviewed by Italiano canale 433 to choose the best athlete in the history of sports[1].
Tsitsipas’ journey began by choosing Carlos Alcaraz over Jude Bellingham, the young Englishman from Real Madrid. He then preferred Roger Federer to Carlos Alcaraz, who in turn chose NBA legend Michael Jordan. After Muhammad Ali and Cristiano Ronaldo, it was Nadal’s turn. Tsitsipas crowned Nadal as the GOAT (Greatest of All Time), choosing him over both Lebron James and rival Novak Djokovic[1].
This isn’t the only news buzzing around in the tennis world. The ATP Finals in Turin are happening right now, and Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal has left everyone wondering who will replace him in the lineup. Djokovic cited ongoing injuries as the reason for his withdrawal, which means players like Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Alex de Minaur, and Andrey Rublev are taking center stage[4].
But let’s get back to Tsitsipas and his thoughts on the new format applied by ATP to some ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. These tournaments have been extended to two weeks, a change that’s been met with mixed reactions. While some see it as an attempt to lighten the calendar, others believe it’s just a mess. Andy Roddick even called it a “stupid thing” he hates deeply. Tsitsipas echoed these sentiments, saying how the two-week format has become a burden and decreased the quality of tennis because there’s no time for recovery and training. He emphasized how tennis players don’t have space to work off the court[1].
“It is curious that the ATP has committed to making this change in the calendar without first knowing if it works. The Paris-Bercy tournament was fun and easy to follow since it took place in one week. As it should be. If the goal was to lighten the calendar, extending the Masters 1000 to two weeks is not the best idea. Sometimes, it seems like they are fixing what was not broken,” he said[1].
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