Before Sunday’s epic battle and victory over defending champion Roger Federer, not so much was said about Greek youngster Stefanos Tsitsipas in Melbourne or around the globe. The Athens born tennis player beat the legendary Federer in four sets to book his place in the last eight in a match reminiscent of Roger Federer’s own emergence in the sport 18 years ago. Coincidentally, the upcoming Swiss star then defeated Pete Sampras in the fourth round of a Grand Slam in a match that felt like a passing of the torch but we wouldn’t be discussing that right now. Just like Hyeon Chung in 2018, we have another surprise semi-finalist in the 2019 Australia Open. The Korean star fell in his last-four match (due to injury) to the eventual winner but it was refreshing to see a 21-year-old enjoy a fantastic run in a Grand Slam.
Stefanos is on a similar run in 2019; the giant killer dispatched 22nd seed Roberto Bautista Agut in four sets to book his place in the semi-final of the Australia Open. In doing so, he has become the youngest man at 20 years and 168 days to reach the last four of a Grand Slam since Novak Djokovic at the 2007 US Open. Tsitsipas became the first Greek player to go beyond the fourth round of a Grand Slam when he knocked out six-time champion Roger Federer to reach the quarter-finals and he is the youngest man to reach the last four in Melbourne since Andy Roddick in 2003.
“It all feels like a fairytale almost. I’m just living the dream, living what I’ve been working for,” he said. “I feel a bit emotional but not too much because I know I really worked hard to get here.”
Chung and Tsitispas success in the Grand Slam are not one-offs; we saw a lot of giant killers when upcoming stars took on the old order last season with some measure of success in return. Borna Coric had his moments against Federer in Halle and Shanghai; Khachanov over Djokovic in Paris Masters; Tsitsipas enjoyed success over Djokovic in Toronto and Zverev beating Federer and Djokovic to win Nitto ATP Finals. These new current set of talented tennis stars broke in the top 20 in the ATP rankings last year with Tsitsipas seeded 14th for this year’s Australia Open.
The Greek player managed to keep his focus after his last 16 victory over his idol – Federer to ensure there was no hangover in his quarter final match. He is in the last four of a Grand Slam now; a goal he set for himself for the year and he has achieved at first attempt. “I want to continue this amazing journey.” he said. Tsitsipas awaits the winner between Frances Tiafoe and Rafa Nadal for a place in Sunday’s final on Thursday.
Fingers crossed till Thursday but in the meantime, the Greek lad can enjoy the new attention and glamour that comes with success as his fairytale run in Melbourne continues. All the best Stefanos!