Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final of the French Open: The challenger with a fighter’s heart

Stefanos Tsitsipas had just finished an exhausting match against Alexander Zverev. A semifinal over five sets, that’s also sport for the nerves, this match, this moment afterwards, Tsitsipas would probably have wanted to let it sink in. But there was no time for that now. The 22-year-old Greek had to answer questions directly on the Philippe Chatrier court, with five minutes between the transformed match point and the obligatory interview.

Tsitsipas stood there, exhausted and also a little absent. He had never dared to dream of ever getting this far in Paris – at his favorite tournament – he said, his voice trembling. “Now it really happened.” Then his breath caught.

“My life is like a racing bullet that has not yet hit the target,” Tsitsipas once wrote on Twitter. Now the goal is very close. For the first time in his career he is in the final of one of the big four major tournaments. And that too in Roland Garros, on his favorite surface, the famous “Terre Batue”, the red ash.

On Sunday in the final of the French Open, Tsitsipas will meet Novak Djokovic (3 p.m., TV: Eurosport). The world number one had defeated Rafael Nadal, the record winner in Paris, in an epic match. Djokovic goes into the game as the favorite. But the Serb also knows: Tsitsipas is not only a fantastic tennis player, he will also show his fighting heart on the court again.

There was a decisive phase in the match against Zverev. The German had three breakballs in the first game of the decisive fifth set. The pressure situation for Tsitsipas was overwhelming. And yet the world number five managed to free himself from the clutches, to withdraw from the noose. The 22-year-old scored five points in a row and won this first game, which was also so psychologically important.

“I’m a fighter in the field. I knew that if I could somehow get out of this situation, the way to victory would probably be paved, ”he said afterwards. “Winning the game felt like a fresh breath, I was revitalized afterwards.” Zverev’s resistance was broken as a result. This is typical for Tsitsipas: no matter how hopeless the situation is, there is still a way. And the Greeks often find it.

Extremely hard basic strokes characterize the game of Tsitsipas. But they are not only tough, they are also beautiful to look at. His best hit is the one-handed backhand, which is reminiscent of Stan Wawrinka’s aesthetics and technical perfection. The Swiss are said to play perhaps the most beautiful backhand on the tour.

But it is not just the basic strokes and the great will that make the ATP world champion of 2019 so unpredictable. Tsitsipas has already won 39 matches this season, more than any other player. This is also evidence of the extraordinary fitness of the Greek, it became clear in the semifinals against Zverev. No matter how many good stop balls the German could play, his opponent ran and slipped almost every ball. These are good prerequisites for the final against Djokovic, who likes to drive his opponents in long rallies across the entire width of the pitch.

The development process of Tsitsipas did not go unnoticed by the Serbs either. “He has matured extremely recently as a player,” said Djokovic after his match against Nadal. “And he’s in great shape for the whole season,” said the 18-time Grand Slam winner.

Discipline learned from the mother, confidence from the father

To survive against Djokovic is one of the most difficult tasks in men’s tennis. Tsitsipas won’t get many chances against the number one in the world – and he has to use the few.

In difficult phases of the game, it is always about self-control. His sometimes exuberant temperament is probably the only weakness. Perhaps Tsitsipas will remember his Russian mother’s words against Djokovic. “It is very important to her that I play disciplined,” Tsitsipas once told the New York Times about mother Julia Salnikova, who was once a tennis professional herself. He learned the positive way from his father Apostolos, who also trains him. The mix sounds promising – and it has now carried it through to the finals.