Even though the calendar year 2024 has only cut off half of January, the respected AP agency is already clear: Stefanos Tsitsipas has delivered the hit of the year. The Greek tennis player impressed with an incredible finish right in the first round of the Australian Open Grand Slam.
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The exchange ended with an incredible strike from Stefanos Tsitsipas | Video: Associated Press
After losing the first set, Tsitsipas led 1-0 over Belgian Zizou Bergs in the second set and had a break point.
During a long exchange, Bergs played a volley that landed just behind the net and bounced back into his half of the court thanks to backspin.
However, the Greek tennis player ran down the seemingly lost and unplayable ball and managed to place it out of reach of his opponent, narrowly avoiding an illegal touch of the net with the racket.
He amazed not only the audience, but also Bergs, who covered his mouth with his hand in astonishment.
“It was an extraordinary blow, I don’t even know how I managed it,” the hero of the moment shook his head.
“When he hit that volley, it flashed in my head: That’s it, I have to prepare for the next exchange,” revealed Tsitsipas.
Nevertheless, he went after the ball. “I didn’t want to give up, and because I tried, I won the point that turned the whole match,” said the Greek tennis player after converting a break to make it 2-0.
The seventh-seeded favorite finally won 5:7, 6:1, 6:1, 6:3 over the 129th ranked player thanks to a saved almost lost exchange.
Last year’s defeated finalist was originally supposed to face Matteo Berrettini in the first round, but the Italian withdrew due to a leg injury on Sunday, and the “lucky loser” from the Bergs qualification got into the main event instead.
“This is always dangerous when you are preparing for a specific opponent for several days in a row,” Tsitsipas pointed out.
“Zizou did a great job today and made it very difficult for me. I didn’t have an easy time,” added the Greek, whose home team Jordan Thompson awaits in the 2nd round.
2024-01-15 11:06:49
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