Australian Open: Stefanos Tsitsipas the new star in the tennis sky after defeating Federer
The maestro in the nightmare of missed opportunities - or: A young Greek on the way to the top.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit: Jan 20, 2019, 06:13 pm
It was mid-November when the extraordinary Stefanos Tsitsipas in Milan won the “NextGen” final of the tennis tour in Milan. The tournament has recently become a marketing tool to promote the upcoming stars of the professional business, it is officially the championship of tomorrow's aces.
Back then, on the last few meters of the 2018 season, a certain Alexander Zverev still won the right World Cup, the big and the strong in London. The young Greek and the young German, 20 and 21 years old, were the ones who had the last word of this season.
Zverev was no longer the so-called promise for the future, he had clearly reached the top of the world before the mighty coup in Britain's capital. But now his generation mate and friend Tsitsipas is also making great strides there - at the latest since a magical night in Melbourne, in which, after a passionate fight and an extremely smart center court show, he defended the 37-year-old defending champion Roger Federer from the Grand Slam - Race promoted.
6: 7 (11:13), 7: 6 (7: 3), 7: 5 and 7: 6 (7: 5) - these were the sober numbers for the very well-rested appearance of the Hellenic youth, who, just like Zverev, is confident will soon be able to inherit the extraordinary gentlemen around Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Co.
Tsitsipas: "Roger is a legend for me"
"I am the happiest person in the world today," said Tsitsipas, who in the duel with the Maestro especially impressed with his aggressive, courageous, courageous attitude. Tsitsipas, almost all experts agree, has the potential to become a major player in his sport.
But now he showed for the first time in a highly important match that he also has the potential to call on his strengths and talents when it comes to an experienced champions like Federer. "Roger is a legend for me. But today I only played against my colleague Federer, ”said Tsitsipas, the man who kept his nerve cool in the marathon thriller, as champion for the big points.
What particularly distinguished him on this memorable day in the Rod Laver Arena was immediately apparent when looking at the match statistics - there it was documented in black and white that Federer had twelve break chances in 225 minutes of play and Tsitsipas had all this dozen tricky situations for him decided four times even if there was a risk of losing a set in round two.
"It was downright grueling for Federer how doggedly and how successfully Tsitsipas fought back," said expert John McEnroe. In any case, the appearance of the charming Greek seemed rounded - with 20 aces, 62 winning strikes and only 36 easy mistakes (Federer: 55). "Maybe one day you will look back at this game and say: That was the birth of a new star in the tennis sky," said Boris Becker.
And Federer? He had worked hard on his physique and his game in his second home in Dubai in the winter months, now, after the sudden end, he looked chipped, resigned. Not angry, but simply sad. “I had every chance of winning the game. But he defended extremely well, over and over again. He was the deserved winner, ”said Federer of his conqueror, who was only four years old at the first Swiss Grand Slam (2003, Wimbledon). According to Federer, Tsitsipas "will be a player who has been a world leader for many years."
# BETWAY #