ATP Next Gen Finals: Interactive timeline of Stefanos Tsitsipas' steep rise up the rankings, maiden ATP title and Rogers Cup final

​ How Stefanos Tsitsipas qualified Stefanos Tsitispas has enjoyed a breakout year, achieving a string of milestones in the sport with his performances over the year. The Greek youngster won his maiden ATP World Tour title last year after he defeated Latvian Ernests Gulbis 6-4, 6-4, in the Intrum Stockholm Open 2018. Prior to that, his performances in the Rogers Cup, where he reached the final, were enough to catapult him from 27th to 15th in the world rankings in August 2018, a rank he has held for close to three months. Stefanos Tsitsipas’ 2018 in 280 characters Trophies won: Intrum Stockholm Open 2018 Top 10 players defeated: Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem (x2), Kevin Anderson (x2) Highest ranking: World No 15 Best Grand Slam performance: Wimbledon 2018 (Round of 16) Biggest scalp of the season Tsitsipas has been a thorn in the side of the top 10 in 2018, racking up win after win against the highest ranked players in the game. Four of Tsitsipas’ biggest scalps this season came back-to-back in a single tournament, as the then 19-year-old beat Dominic Thiem, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Kevin Anderson en route to the Canada Open final in Toronto, where he lost to Rafael Nadal on his 2oth birthday. In doing so, he became the youngest player to beat four top-10 opponents in the ATP tour, and also became the youngest ATP Masters 1000 finalist since Novak Djokovic, who reached the final at the age of 19 at 2007 Miami. One thing you didn’t know about Stefanos Tsitsipas Stefanos Tsitsipas nearly died whilst swimming in the ocean with a friend during preparations for a Futures tournament in Heraklion, Greece. He was saved by his father Apostolos Tsitsipas, who brought him and his friend to shore. Tsitsipas has stated that his brush with death has completely changed his outlook on life. Why is Stefanos Tsitsipas the Next Gen? Tsitsipas has grown in leaps and bounds over the last two years, and has developed a style of play that even the top-ranked players struggle against at times. At 20, the Greek player is nowhere close to his peak, and will continue to improve over the next few years. For the rest of the profiles of contenders at the ATP Next Gen Finals 2018, click  here .