US Open star declares ‘I want to be Roger Federer’s successor’ and puts target on his back

Stefanos Tsitsipas has his sights set on winning the US Open but it appears that he has already set himself an even bigger target. The world No 7 cruised into the second round at Flushing Meadows after completing an emphatic 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 victory against Milos Raonic on Monday.

The 25-year-old Greek is one of the few players on the tour who chooses to utilise a one-handed backhand, just like all-time great Roger Federer. And it is actually because of the 22-time Grand Slam champion that Tsitsipas adopted the technique when he was just eight years old.

The seventh seed explained that the single-handed backhand was now a signature move of his and because of it, he now wanted to be the natural successor to Federer, who won five successive US Opens.

Tsitsipas said: “I switched and I committed to a single-handed backhand at the age of eight. I remember the phase that I was in between deciding which one am I going to follow. I remember showing up at practice on Monday, playing the entire practice with a double-handed backhand.