Since his rise into the tennis circuit in 2021, Stefanos Tsitsipas has had a fascinating tennis journey. Facing highs and lows throughout, Tsitsipas has won 10 ATP titles so far in his career. However, the coveted Grand Slam win still eludes him. He has come close twice at the Australian Open itself.
The current World No. 7 has recently spoken out that he still has age by his side and that he puts himself in the same category as all-time leading Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic. While it’s true that he is only 25, Tsitsipas had shown promising signs of being the next big thing in tennis upon his arrival. He has, so far, been unable to stamp his authority on the same.
However, Stefanos Tsitsipas has managed to stun the world with some of his victories at the Australian Open. From 2019 onwards, Tsitsipas has always made it to at least the semi-finals of the Australian Open, barring 2020. It’s always been a story of so close yet so far for the Greek star. With that in mind, here are his top 5 wins at the Australian Open so far:
Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Rafael Nadal in the 2021 quarterfinals
At the 2021 Australian Open, Tsitsipas lost to Daniil Medvedev and lost out on his place in the finals. However, it was his win against Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals that created big news. It wasn’t just his win, but how Tsitsipas made a comeback to win the match was unbelievable. He was down and out, losing 3-6 and 2-6 in the first two sets.
One more loss and it was over for the Greek player. But from there, Tsitsipas tied at 6-6 in the third set and won the tie-breaker 7-4. He won the next two hard-fought sets, 6-4 and 7-5 to advance to the semifinals.
When Stefanos Tsitsipas announced himself by knocking out Roger Federer in 2019
2019 was the first year when Tsitsipas qualified for the semifinals of the Australian Open. But to get there, he beat the defending champion and legend, Roger Federer in the fourth round and that gave his confidence a boost. Tsitsipas won 6-7 (11-13), 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) and knocked Federer out of the tournament, which came as a big shock.
After rightfully calling an out-of-line shot of Federer, Tsitsipas then forced the Swiss legend to commit an error. With that, the then-21-year-old advanced to the quarterfinals.
Tsitsipas beat Fritz in a thriller in 2022
Taylor Fritz, the American tennis player, achieved his career-best ranking of 5 last year. But it was in 2022 when he had the golden chance of breaking into the Top 8, if not for Tsitsipas’ golden hand. He won the match 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 and advanced to the quarterfinals. Tsitsipas’ judgment of leaving the final volley by Fritz which landed outside the blue playing court, was met with a loud cheer by the audience to indicate the inevitable.
Stefanos Tsitsipas denied Jannik Sinner a good 2023 run
2023 was the best year at the Australian Open for Stefanos Tsitsipas, as it was the year he reached the finals. But before he beat Jiří Lehečka of the Czech Republic and Karen Khachanov of Russia in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively, his fourth-round match against Jannik Sinner was the match that made headlines.
Tsitsipas got an early headstart by winning the first two sets, 6-4, 6-4. But Sinner came back strong in the following two sets, by winning 6-3, 6-4 to take it to a fifth. However, the 25-year-old Greek had the last laugh, winning the final set 6-3.
How Tsitsipas overcame the Kokkinakis challenge in 2021 before beating Nadal
Before beating Nadal in the quarterfinals, Tsitsipas played the local lad, Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round of the 2021 Australian Open. It was tighter than many would have expected. Tsitsipas was made to work hard for his 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-1, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4.
The World No.7 was 2-1 up after the first three sets. But Kokkinakis nearly pulled off an upset for the ages by winning the tiebreaker in the fourth set. Fortunately for him and his fans, Tsitsipas broke the Australian youngster’s serve to advance.
Interestingly, on Thursday, it was announced that Stefanos Tsitsipas will have a blockbuster Round 1 match at the Australian Open 2024 against former top-10 player and Wimbledon 2021 finalist, Matteo Berrettini of Italy.
