ATP Finals 2021: Stefanos Tsitsipas felt "some pain" in training, but says he's "ready to play"

World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas enters the ATP Finals under an injury cloud. The Greek retired from his second-round match at the Paris Masters due to an arm injury, but has since been spotted on the practice courts.

Ahead of the season-ending ATP Finals, Tsitsipas revealed that he did feel some pain during his training sessions. However, the Greek said things are gradually improving and he feels "ready to play."

"In training I felt some pain, but things are getting better and better and I’m ready to play," Tsitsipas said in a press conference.

Tsitsipas has been dealing with the injury for quite some time and the problem worsened in the couple of weeks prior to the Paris Masters. The Greek felt some pain during his second-round clash with Alexei Popyrin at Paris-Bercy, forcing him to retire from a match for the first time in his career.

Elaborating on his Paris Masters retirement, Tsitsipas said that he had to do it for his "safety."

"In Paris I had to retire for my safety," he explained. "I practiced with a little bit of pain in the last days, but now I feel better and I'll do everything possible to recover."

Tsitsipas took a few days off after the Paris Masters following which he was seen doing light exercises at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy. Earlier this week, he was spotted hitting with his brother Pavlos Tsitsipas.

Stefanos Tsitsipas drawn in the same group as Novak Djokovic at ATP Finals 2021

Stefanos Tsitsipas (L) and Novak Djokovic at the 2021 French Open

Five months after their epic duel in the final of the French Open, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Monte-Carlo Masters champion Stefanos Tsitsipas will reprise their rivalry in Turin next week. The two have been drawn in the Green Group at the ATP Finals, alongside World No. 5 Andrey Rublev and World No. 8 Casper Ruud.

Djokovic, a five-time ATP Finals champion, comes to Turin high on confidence, having lifted a record-breaking 37th Masters 1000 title in Paris just a week back.

Tsitsipas, meanwhile, hasn't reached a single final since the French Open. The 2019 ATP Finals champion will launch his bid for a second title against Rublev on Monday while Djokovic faces Ruud in his opener.