Australian Open: Stefanos Tsitsipas relishing return to "home slam" Down Under

Perrenial grand slam hopeful Stefanos Tsitsipas can't wait to step on court at Melbourne Park, his favourite grand slam.

The Greek star has achieved his best grand slam results at the Australian Open, reaching last year's final as well as the final four on two occasions. The 2023 final against the indomitable Novak Djokovic proved a bridge too far for Tsitsipas, who went down in straight sets.

But this has done little to temper his excitement for the 2024 edition, as he revealed on the AO Show podcast.

"It is one of my favourite destinations, my 'home slam' is located there," the world No.6 said of the iconic Melbourne Park.

"Extraordinary country that offers so much beauty outside and on the court, as well. I always associate Australia with great fans because I do get a lot of great support down there and it's a lot of fun to be performing in cities around the country.

"The very first time I visited Australia I got an understanding of just how warm and nice people are there, but also the Greek community, let's not forget about them, they're so vibrant and so intense, they bring so much energy every single year. It always has a special place in my heart visiting Australia."

Turning his focus to tennis, Tsitsipas admitted that there are a host of rising stars playing superlative tennis at the moment. Jannik Sinner has enjoyed a meteoric rise of late, while Andrey Rublev has maintained a high level.

This is without mentioning defending Australian Open champion Djokovic, the mercurial Carlos Alcaraz and the returning Rafael Nadal.

"Right now, we have a lot of great players on the tour playing a lot of great tennis," added the 25-year-old.

"That is probably the most challenging period of my tennis career so far, to find ways to beat those guys, to find ways to pass them in the rankings.

"Maybe also show our real potential, finally, once, all I'm asking is just once. I hope we can just find a way to get there and start owning our own zone."

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