Published 18:43 IST, November 18th 2019
Stefanos Tsitsipas: Some interesting facts about the newly crowned ATP Finals champion
Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Dominic Thiem 6-7(6), 6-2, 7-6(4) in a gruelling ATP Finals match on Sunday and is now the only Greek player to achieve the feat.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas did the impossible on Sunday after lifting the ATP Finals trophy in his debut season. He defeated Austria's Dominic Thiem in the final to become the first Greek player to win the event. He is also the youngest among the top ten male players in the world.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas ranking and ATP Finals vs Dominic Thiem
Stefanos Tsitsipas had earlier overcome Roger Federer in the semi-final. In the final, he was stretched to three sets by Dominic Thiem before he overcame the Austrian 6-7(6), 6-2, 7-6(4) in a gruelling final. Having turned professional in 2016, Tsitsipas has won three ATP 250 titles and has now scalped one of the most prestigious tournaments after the four Grand Slams.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas interesting facts
Tsitsipas was ranked No 1 on the junior circuit. He, alongwith Kenneth Raisma in 2016, lifted the Boys’ Doubles trophy at Wimbledon where they defeated Canadian doubles pair of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov in the final.
The 22-year-old is the only Greek player in history to win a singles titles at the ATP World Tour Finals or to break into the top ten. He became the first man from his country to reach an ATP final since Nicholas Kalogeropoulos in 1973.
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Away from the court, Tsitsipas hobbies include playing basketball, swimming in the sea and developing his game in Padel (which is also known as Padel tennis).
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During one of his interviews, Tsitsipas revealed that while growing up, he would cry and hide behind cars after losing. He also said that he would just freak out and run away from his parents. He tried to hide somewhere so they could never find him as he felt so embarrassed and ashamed of his performance.
Tsitsipas suffered a near-death experience when he almost drowned while swimming in the Mediterranean sea. He was saved by his father Apostolos.
Tsitsipas' 17-year-old brother Petros plays on the Greek Davis Cup team. His other siblings - Paolo (13) and sister Elisavet (10) are just starting out on their tennis journeys.
14:10 IST, November 18th 2019