NEXT SUPERSTAR OF MEN’S TENNIS
He’s the Greek god with tousled locks who’s good enough to beat Federer. Meet the ...
Stefanos tsitsipas, 20 years old and perhaps the next superstar of men’s tennis, wants to talk about his generation.
He worries, with the prescience of someone double or triple his age, that his contemporaries are too hooked on the internet and instant gratification.
the young Greek was fondly described as ‘an old soul’ by the great Rod Laver in Melbourne this year. He is calm and reflective with tousled hair and a natural athleticism. Bjorn Borg, perhaps, but with a more sizeable intellect.
‘It is the impatient generation, the generation of the social media, all of this c**p,’ says tsitsipas. ‘everything is at a fast pace, much faster than the years before. that’s why I like to disconnect sometimes and live life how it used to be, with more thought and more consciousness.
‘they are impatient, always anxious because that is what social media creates, stress and other s*** you don’t need in your life. It’s good to disconnect sometimes and have real chats, conversations with people, do other things that are real and not fake, that are not filled with numbers or digits.’
He is an unusual figure and not just because he has emerged from a long neglected corner of the tennis world with an all- court game good enough to have taken him to no 10 in the world.
Having made Wimbledon’s fourth round, he caused a sensation at the australian open by knocking out Roger federer. It sparked scenes of adulation from Melbourne’s huge Greek population.
Whatever his caution about social media, tsitsipas embraces it and his hobby is making mini-documentaries on his own Youtube channel.
among his films is one about his experiences in Melbourne, and another is about the time four years ago when he nearly drowned after being caught by a riptide when swimming in the sea, only to be rescued by his father. He ascribes his phlegmatic demeanour to surviving the ordeal and tells all in ‘the day I was supposed to lose my life’.
tsitsipas is playing the fevertree Championships at Queen’s before Wimbledon this year and will not enjoy the same anonymity as before. In Melbourne he took to wearing a cap and sunglasses when exploring the city, so suffocating was the attention.
aside from anything else, he is marked out by being a rare male tennis player from Greece, having been brought up in athens by his Greek father and Russian mother, Julia, a former top 200 player. His parents met when they were coaching at holiday resorts outside the city.
tsitsipas is the only Greek man with any kind of atP ranking. ‘there is not much support from the club and federation, that’s why kids are not willing to pursue their dream,’ he explains. ‘also a lot of families have basic incomes, lower than the rest of europe and not all the parents are willing to risk their careers for their kids to follow such a difficult sport.
‘Mine were into tennis so they knew. My mum, especially, knew how the whole thing works and the sacrifices. But at times it was also very difficult. My aunt, her twin, paid some of the bills.’
tsitsipas believes that in the long run his tougher route to that which tennis youngsters in Britain travel, was more conducive to producing a champion. ‘I wouldn’t say it’s unfair, it’s more that they (the Lta) have opportunities, very comfortable and they can provide for players,’ he says in his placid tones. ‘If I had been part of a federation like that it would definitely have made my life easier.
‘But then having passed through all of this s*** in my life, it kind of changed my mindset. It made me mentally stronger, knowing that I had to suffer so much to get where I am. I appreciate it more, whereas if I was part of such a big federation to provide everything for me, it would be too simple. everything is there for you, everything is cooked for you.’
He has emerged with an athletic all-court game and a high tennis IQ that includes well- judged forays to the net.
In the intriguing debate — who will be the next new male Grand slam champion? — his name is increasingly mentioned. and although he grew up on clay, the grass has never held any fears.
‘the first time I played on it was Roehampton, at 16. People told me it was going i t to b be b bad db but tI I love the feel of it.
‘When I first went to Wimbledon (he was to win the junior doubles event) it was emotional. Wimbledon was always part of my tennis dream so being able to walk on the court, I felt proud of myself.’ Tsitsipas will play the Fever-Tree Championships, June 17-23 — go to fevertreechampionships.com
tHe man who stabbed twotime Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in her home has been sentenced to eight years in prison. Radim Zondra, 33, was convicted of causing Kvitova serious bodily harm in her Czech apartment in December 2016.