Stefanos Tsitsipas

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[Damian]

Tokio QF:

13 Fabio Fognini 2225
14 Stefanos Tsitsipas 1987
15 Diego Schwartzman 1975

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5 Things To Know About Tsitsipas, Who's Headed To Milan

Spoiler:

Tsitsipas, one year after serving as an alternate in Milan, will make his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals
Stefanos Tsitsipas became only the second player to qualify for the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals on Friday in Tokyo. Greece's #NextGenATP star booked his maiden appearance at the prestigious event, to be held 6-10 November in Milan, when #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov fell to Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2018.

The 20-year-old Greek, who joins Alexander Zverev as Milan qualifiers, has enjoyed a breakout season on the ATP World Tour, reaching two ATP World Tour finals – at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell (l. to Nadal) and the Rogers Cup (l. to Nadal), an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Toronto. Below are five things to know about one of the favourites to take home the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals title.

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1. He Made History In Toronto
At the Rogers Cup in August, Tsitsipas, then 19, became the youngest player in ATP World Tour history (since 1990) to beat four Top 10 players. The #NextGenATP Greek beat No. 8 Dominic Thiem, No. 10 Novak Djokovic, saved two match points to beat No. 3 Alexander Zverev and then saved another match point before beating No. 6 Kevin Anderson. Tsitsipas fell in the final against No. 1 Rafael Nadal for the second time this season. The Greek became the youngest Masters 1000 finalist since 19-year-old Novak Djokovic at 2007 Miami.

ATP Race To Milan

2. He Nearly Drowned Three Years Ago
In 2015, Tsitsipas was enjoying a day off with some friends while competing at a Futures tournament in Heraklion, Greece. They went for a swim in the ocean, but didn't realise the strength of the waves. Soon, Tsitsipas was 25 metres away from the shore and struggling to breathe. But his father saw him struggling, and rescued him.

“The only time in my life that I felt that I'm a few seconds away from dying,” Tsitsipas said.

Watch: Tsitsipas Recalls The Day His Dad Saved His Life


3. He Bleeds Blue
Tsitsipas is extremely proud to be leading his country and regularly making Greek tennis history. Last year, he became the first Greek player to reach an ATP World Tour quarter-final and semi-final (Antwerp) and to break into the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings. This season, Tsitsipas became only the second Greek to reach a tour-level final (also Kalogeropoulos at 1973 Des Moines).

As his country worked to recover from the horrific fires that devastated parts of Greece in July, Tsitsipas shared his emotions in this first-person essay for ATPWorldTour.com. “It was as if we were landing in Hell. Everywhere we looked, we saw fire,” he wrote.

Read More: Tsitsipas: 'It Won't Get Easier. I'll Only Get Better'

4. He Has An Alternate Instagram Personality
Want to follow Tsitsipas on Instagram? You have a couple of options. You can follow his official account, @stefanostsitsipas98, where he mostly posts about tennis. But if you want to follow his alternate personality, give @stevethehawk a follow. Tsitsipas uses the account to document his travels.

5. He Has A Mixed Heritage
Tsitsipas' father, Apostolos, is Greek, but his mother, Julia Salnikova, is Russian and was a top Soviet player in the 1980s. Both parents have helped Tsitsipas reach No. 15 in the ATP Rankings, his career-high. His father helped develop his aggressive game and his one-handed backhand; Tsitsipas' mother instilled discipline in her son.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/ts ... inals-2018

[Damian]

[Damian]

Tsitsipas Survives Monfils Test In Shanghai

Stefanos Tsitsipas, who last week qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals in November, lived to fight another day on Monday when the 10th-seeded #NextGenATP star worked his way past France’s Gael Monfils at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. The 20-year-old Greek triumphed 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 22 minutes for a second-round meeting against Russia’s Karen Khachanov.

“It was a weird game, lots of service breaks [and] many long rallies in the match,” said Tsitsipas. “Gael has a rhythm that's not very comfortable when you're on the other side of the net. You never know what to expect. Sometimes the ball comes slower, sometimes the ball comes faster. So it confuses you. There are not many players that play this way.

“It was very, very hard, because he was serving pretty well. My serve was all right. I managed to open the court well with my serve, take the forehands and try to come to the net. But I managed to stay patient. I got broken when serving for the match in the third set. I remained calm and focused and then went back in the next game and broke him, which I believe is a big strength from my side. It shows good character.”


Tsitsipas saved three set points on serve at 5-6 in the first set, prior to winning the first six points of the tie-break, and later broke Monfils in the eighth game of the decider in their first FedEx ATP Head2Head clash. Former World No. 6 Monfils responded immediately to get back to 4-5, but then dropped to 15/40 and served his fifth double fault of the match to hand Tsitsipas his 34th victory of the season (34-24).

“I have improved a lot since last year physically, mentally,” said Tsitsipas. “My game has changed. I am more aggressive now. I'm actually stronger. I feel stronger. My body has changed since last year. I have [now played] lots of matches in the ATP main draws, lots of wins which gave me confidence. I believe in myself a little bit more.”

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/mo ... 018-monday

[Damian]

Anderson will attempt to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas, for the first time in three FedEx ATP Head2Head clashes, to reach the last eight. The #NextGenATP Greek saved three set points in the second-set tie-break en route to a 6-4, 7-6(8) win over Karen Khachanov.

Tsitsipas, who beat the Russian in Shanghai to record his first tour-level victory last year, notched his 35th tour-level win of the season after one hour and 44 minutes, winning 82 per cent of first-serve points. The 20-year-old, who has reached two ATP World Tour finals this season, has already confirmed his spot at the Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held in Milan from 6-10 November

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/an ... -wednesday

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

Greece Lightning: Tsitsipas broke into the Top 15 in August following a fourth-round run at Wimbledon and four Top 10 wins en route to the Toronto final. He is the first Greek to be ranked that high, reach the Round of 16 at a Grand Slam and play for a Masters 1000 championship.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/an ... ing-report

[Damian]

Winning Feeling: Like Tsitsipas, seventh-seeded Shapovalov has earned 30 wins in a season for the first time. Though the 19-year-old is still seeking his first final on the ATP World Tour, he became both the youngest quarter-finalist and semi-finalist in Mutua Madrid Open tournament history in May.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/an ... ing-report

[Damian]

[Żilu]

[Lleyton]

Tsitsipas Recovers, Isner Continues London Push

Spoiler:

Fognini continues pursuit of Italian history

Stefanos Tsitsipas kept alive his chances of reaching a third ATP World Tour final of the year on Friday by beating the experienced German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 7-6(4) in one hour and 36 minutes at the Intrum Stockholm Open.

Tsitsipas, a runner-up at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell and the Rogers Cup (l. to Nadal both times), fought back from 1-4 down in the second set and saved two set points at 2-5, 15/40. The #NextGenATP Greek has already clinched his place at next month’s Next Gen ATP Finals. Buy Your Milan Tickets

“I showed character and a bit more passion for every shot that I played,” said Tsitsipas. “When I was a break down I concentrated hard. I played rallies and waited for an opportunity and put pressure on him to finish the points. In general, I was calm and I served pretty well today – much better than my first-round match. I’d like to push more and get more [ATP Rankings] points in the next few weeks."

He’ll now play second seed Fabio Fognini for the first time. Fognini, who is currently No. 12 in the ATP Race To London, for one of the three remaining spots at the eight-man Nitto ATP Finals, was leading 7-5, 2-1 after 54 minutes of play when sixth-seeded South Korean Hyeon Chung retired due to a right foot injury. Fognini has won a career-best three titles this season, and is trying to become the first Italian on record to win four tour-level crowns in one year.

American John Isner continued his push for a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals on Friday, outlasting compatriot Tennys Sandgren 7-6(8), 6-7(5), 7-6(2) to reach the semi-finals in Stockholm.

The top seed, competing in his first tournament as a father, has won both of his matches in third-set tie-breaks. In fact, all six of the sets he has played have gone to tie-breaks. Isner moves into ninth place in the ATP Race To London with 3,020 points thanks to his victory against Sandgren, putting him 515 points behind No. 8 Dominic Thiem. The 33-year-old is trying to qualify for the season finale, to be held at The O2 in London from 11-18 November, for the first time.

Isner

It has been perhaps the strongest season of Isner's career, as the American captured his maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Isner also climbed as high as No. 8 in the ATP Rankings, after advancing to the Wimbledon semi-finals, his first trip to the last four of a Grand Slam.

Isner will look to keep it up against qualifier and World No. 145 Ernests Gulbis, who defeated 2017 Paris titlist Jack Sock 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first tour-level semi-final since Vienna in October 2015. Gulbis is the first qualifier to advance to the last four in Stockholm since Matthias Bachinger did it in 2014 before losing to Tomas Berdych.

British Pair Reach Doubles Final
Luke Bambridge and Jonny O’Mara, who captured their first ATP World Tour title at the Nature Valley International in June (d. Skupskis), knocked out Simone Bolelli and Ivan Dodig 6-3, 6-4 in 67 minutes for a place in the doubles final.

Elsewhere, third seeds Marcus Daniell and Wesley Koolhof booked a place in the semi-finals by converting their fourth match point opportunity in a 6-7(3), 6-2, 11-9 victory over Matthew Ebden and Robert Lindstedt in one hour and 39 minutes. They will now play French team Julien Benneteau and Lucas Pouille on Saturday.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/is ... 018-friday

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[Damian]

Tsitsipas Closes On First Title, Defeats Fognini In Stockholm

Spoiler:

NextGenATP Greek awaits Isner or Gulbis in championship match
Adding another chapter to a remarkable breakthrough season, Stefanos Tsitsipas reached his third final of 2018 on Saturday, beating Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-2 at the Intrum Stockholm Open.

The #NextGenATP Greek, twice a runner-up this season — in Barcelona and Toronto — defeated the second-seeded Italian after 76 minutes. The 20-year-old won 70 per cent of his service points and saved all four break points he faced to improve to 3-2 in tour-level semi-finals in 2018. Tsitsipas will aim to lift his first tour-level title on Sunday when he faces top seed John Isner or Latvian Ernests Gulbis in the championship match.

"[The key to the match] was to stay patient," said Tsitsipas. "[Fabio] was going for shots and the beginning of the match was really tough... I was patient in the rallies. That is how I got the win today."

The Rogers Cup finalist is 0-2 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against World No. 10 Isner and he has never played Gulbis at tour-level. The 20-year-old, currently ranked one position below his career-high No. 15 ATP Ranking, owns a 38-25 record this season. Before this season, Tsitsipas owned just four tour-level match wins.

Fognini was bidding to reach his fifth tour-level final of the season in his ninth semi-final (4-5). The 31-year-old, who has captured trophies in Sao Paulo, Bastad and Los Cabos this year, has fallen in the last four in Stockholm in each of the past two seasons. In last year's semi-finals, Fognini also fell in straight sets to Grigor Dimitrov.

"[Fabio] is a player that has been in the Top 20 for many years," said Tsitsipas. " He won many titles this year and has had a fantastic year. This victory has a lot of value to it."

Did You Know?
In August, Tsitsipas became the youngest player to beat four Top 10 opponents at a single event since the ATP World Tour began in 1990

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/is ... 8-saturday

[Damian]

[Barty]

Sensational Tsitsipas Makes Greek History In Stockholm, Claims Maiden Title

Spoiler:

Tsitsipas defeats Gulbis to become first Greek ATP World Tour champion
#NextGenATP 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas made history on Sunday, becoming the first Greek to capture an ATP World Tour title, defeating qualifier Ernests Gulbis 6-4, 6-4 to win the Intrum Stockholm Open.

"Of course I feel happy because I'm the first Greek [to win a title]. Hopefully many Greek players can achieve something like this. I would be super-happy to see them achieve something like this in the future, maybe even in the near future," Tsitsipas said. "Representing my country at such high-level tournaments, being the first Greek to crack the Top 100 is very, very special for me."

This is a moment Tsitsipas has long dreamed of. It doesn't hurt that some of the best players in the history of the sport have triumphed in Stockholm, including the likes of Roger Federer, Boris Becker and Mats Wilander.

"This trophy, it is amazing... When I first came to this tournament, I saw all those names: Federer, [Juan Martin] Del Potro, and I was like, 'Wow, wouldn't it be cool to have my name there one day'?" Tsitsipas said. "It happened this week. I was very focused, determined to win the tournament... I played great tennis and I deserve to have that spot."

It has been a season of firsts for Tsitsipas: He reached his first tour-level final in Barcelona, his maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 championship match in Toronto, and cracked the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings for the first time on 13 August. But perhaps in Stockholm, he made his biggest breakthrough yet by lifting his maiden ATP World Tour trophy.


Nicholas Kalogeropolous was the first Greek to make a tour-level final, doing so in Des Moines 35 years ago. But when Gulbis missed a forehand in the net after one hour and 21 minutes, Tsitsipas tossed his racquet in the air and put both hands on his head knowing he was the first player from his country to triumph at tour-level.

"My strategy was to focus on every point twice more than I'm used to," Tsitsipas said of withstanding the pressure of finishing off his victory. "When I make these thoughts, good things happen. I managed to stay focused in the last game when I broke him at love, great return game from my side. Very focused in every single point, took advantage of his second serves and managed to close it. The feelings after that were just unreal."

It certainly wasn’t the first time Tsitsipas showed his potential, as he arrived in Sweden one spot off his career-best of No. 15 in the ATP Rankings (the youngest player in the Top 20). At the Rogers Cup in August, Tsitsipas became the youngest player to defeat four opponents inside the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings at a single event.

In the Stockholm final, Tsitsipas dominated on serve, winning 80 per cent of his service points and saving the only break point he faced. The No. 3 seed dropped the second set of his opening-round match against John Millman, but then won seven consecutive sets to come out victorious, adding 250 ATP Ranking points to his total as well as earning €109,310.

Tsitsipas is gaining plenty of momentum as the season nears its exciting climax. The Greek, who was an alternate in Milan last year, has already booked his spot at the Next Gen ATP Finals, to take place at the Fiera Milano from 6-10 November.


Gulbis, the World No. 145, entered the week with just four tour-level wins on the season. But the Latvian won four main draw matches in Stockholm to make his first final since 2014 Nice. Gulbis was trying to become the eighth singles champion in 2018 ranked outside of the Top 100. Qualifiers are now 8-3 in ATP World Tour finals this year.

While it was disappointing for Gulbis to not win his seventh tour-level title, the former World No. 10 gave full credit to Tsitsipas. He also leaves the tournament with 150 points and €57,570.

"He played a really good match. He had a great week," Gulbis said on court after the match. "Congratulations on your first title. I know it's a big deal to win your first ATP [World Tour] title, so enjoy it. I wish that it's not the last one."

Did You Know?
Tsitsipas is the 12th first-time titlist on the ATP World Tour this year. Later in the day, in Antwerp, British No. 1 Kyle Edmund became the 13th.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/ts ... 2018-final

[Damian]

Arriving In-Form: Stockholm champion Tsitsipas and Moscow finalist Adrian Mannarino both arrive in Basel after strong showings last week. Tsitispas defeated Ernests Gulbis to lift his first tour-level trophy, with Mannarino falling to 0-6 in tour-level finals after an impressive week in the Russian capital.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/sc ... ienna-2018

[arti]

First-Time Winner: Tsitsipas Reveals What He Changed In Stockholm

Spoiler:

Twenty-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas completed a lifelong dream on Sunday, beating Ernests Gulbis of Latvia to win the Intrum Stockholm Open and celebrate his maiden ATP World Tour title. Greece's #NextGenATP star spoke to ATPWorldTour.com about the accomplishment:

How does it feel to be holding your first ATP World Tour trophy?
It feels amazing. I've been dreaming of this moment for a very long time. I think it's part of also the hard work that I've been putting in my game all these years, the dedication for the game... I'm super grateful for this opportunity and very excited for what the future has to offer.

Watch Highlights: Tsitsipas Wins Maiden Title In Stockholm



How does it feel to be the first Greek to win an ATP World Tour title?
Of course I feel happy because I'm the first Greek [to win a title]. Hopefully many Greek players can achieve something like this. I would be super happy to see them achieve something like this in the future, maybe even in the near future... Representing my country at such high-level tournaments, being the first Greek to crack the Top 100 is very, very special for me.

Was this a goal you had as a junior growing up and did you think it would happen so quickly?
Well, to be honest with you, not really. I thought it was going to take a few years to make it the way I dreamed of it. But at the end, it doesn't really matter. Sooner is better, if you manage to make it at 18, 19, 20, as I said, sooner is better.

I'm grateful that I can play good tennis at such a young age and have all these people around me, like my father and my team at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, to help me reach my goals... This tournament, I basically had nothing to lose, I played my game. I actually look up to the players I face most of the time because I've seen them play on TV, like Gulbis, Federer, Djokovic, so for me being a part of it is very, very special.



You May Also Like: Sensational Tsitsipas Makes Greek History In Stockholm, Claims Maiden Title


Did you go into your third final with a different approach after losing to Rafael Nadal in Barcelona and Toronto?
Yes, I did. I was actually much more confident this time. I knew that if I executed my game plan and stayed focused and calm and not get angry with myself over anything, I was pretty sure I was going to make it and as I said, I felt great on the court from the beginning until today, to the final.

So I was very confident that I was going to make something really good in the final. I knew most of the things that happened today were in my hands. much more confidence and much more experience than last time.

How much confidence did you have after beating four Top 10 opponents in Toronto?
For sure it gave me some confidence, knowing that I can play that well against top players. It's very important to have these victories behind your back. It helps you to understand how much your game has developed since last time. These victories are always going to remain special.

You are the youngest player in the Top 20 [No. 16]. Could you ever imagine at age 20 you would be ranked this high?
Not really, but as I said before hard work and talent and dedication equals good results and achieving great things.

Now that you have won your first ATP title. What are your next goals in the foreseeable future, the next six months?
My brain is actually at zero right now. Ha, ha. I was so focused on my goals this year that I actually didn't set any goals for next year.

I'm going to have to sit down and think, what do I want to achieve in 2019? Because 2019 is going to be a crucial year for me, and obviously I want to achieve much more. But right now I'm just enjoying the moment, enjoying this great year that I had and hopefully I can do even better in Basel and Paris.

Watch Hot Shot: Tsitsipas Scrambles, Rips Backhand Passing Shot



You have qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. You will be the top seed. Talk about playing in that event for the first time.
Milan is a great event... and it gives the opportunity to young guys like me, to compete against each other, which is great. We can face each other in a single tournament. This competition is very, very good for our confidence because we are the future of the game. We can face each other from a very young age, and that's very good. We can develop together and experience things together.

Is there anyone you would like to acknowledge who has helped you get to where you are in your career?
For sure, my dad. Also a big part of my development and my improvement has been at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, with my coach and my fitness coach [at the academy].

My team also in Greece, which I don't see that often, but they have helped me also in the past and still keep on helping me. All those people I believe, all this support from them made me who I am today.

We know you enjoy basketball. What are your hobbies and things you enjoy outside of tennis?
I enjoy playing basketball. I enjoy playing ping pong. I enjoy playing video games but I actually don't have so much time to play video games recently.

I enjoy very much editing videos, which I create. I enjoy YouTube because it's a great platform where you can watch videos of creators and people that create different things on the Internet, which is fabulous.

I enjoy many sports, actually. I enjoy swimming when I am back in Greece. Swimming and also bowling with my friends. That's how I spend most of my time when I am home.

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