Australian Open 2023: ‘Greek warrior’ Stefanos Tsitsipas battles his way into final

Melbourne: Stefanos Tsitsipas gives a vibe of Greek warriors that you see in movies – battling, struggling, huffing, puffing, yelling and if it were possible, bloodied. He charges himself with clenched fists. He paces about on the court to egg himself on. He punches the air in jubilation at the end of tight matches. He revels in victories and is not afraid to express frustration show. His long locks only add to the traditional and quintessential Greek warrior persona. On Friday, that battling ability and resilience saw him book a place in the Australian Open final for the very first time. He had been to the semi-finals four times but never been able to cross the last-four hurdle up until a warm, sunny evening on Day 12 of the 2023 Australian Open. The 24-year-old got the better of Karen Khachanov 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3 to book a place in the final where he will face nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic. The Serb beat American Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 in the second semi-final.

Tsitsipas was cruising for most part of the match until 5-4 in the third set when he was unable to serve things out. Later in the tiebreak, leading 6-4, Khachanov won four straight points – including with two pin-point forehands to save match points. Tsitsipas of old would have seen a turnaround in the fourth set by the Russian helped along by his self-combustive nature. “I think it starts with confidence, what your capabilities, what you can do out there. I think frustration also builds when you start sort of panicking, or you feel completely off and completely not okay with your game. It has this tendency to build up over time, especially when you’re unable to find some sort of solutions within yourself,” said Tsitsipas in the press conference. “I definitely believe this is something that hasn’t been reoccurring. I have a good relationship with myself on the court. I think this is something that has given me that sort of attitude. Of course, less frustration than before. I don’t feel like it has produced anything beneficial for me,” he added.

Mark Philippoussis, former Australian professional tennis player and now part of Tsitsipas’ team, believes the Greek has become more mature. “He’s done well in the past here and he’s got that respect from the crowd, they’re very well educated in their tennis and they love to watch a battle and one thing Stef does is he always leaves it on the court and he’s a great athlete,” Philippoussis had told Fox Sports.

As Tsitsipas and Khachanov battled it out on Rod Laver Arena, over on Margaret Court Arena, a legend’s doubles match was on between the legendary Bob and Mike Bryan against Radek Stepanek and Marcos Baghdatis. The quartet enthralled the crowd with great skills and trickery, even though it was played at a much-reduced intensity compared to their heyday. Baghdatis, finalist in 2006, was all jokes and rolled back the clock with his smile. Outside the Big 3, the Cypriot has possibly been the most well-liked and supported foreigner at the Australian Open. A young Tsitsipas, inspired by Baghdatis’ exploits all those years ago said, “It was great seeing him battle against the great players of his time. Marcos might not have won a Grand Slam during his career, but he was a great player and I consider him one of my role models.”

With small margins deciding matches at this level, the crowd has a big role to play. Djokovic has a strong and loyal following at Melbourne Park and Tsitsipas would need plenty of his own to have a match. For that, the fourth-ranked Tsitsipas will have Baghdatis to thank. “I definitely got the Greek community out here and Stefan is also Greek and that’s what they’re doing again and it’s great to see. I think if he stays fit he’s going to become No. 1 in the world soon,” said Baghdatis. If he does claim his first major trophy on Sunday, Tsitsipas would rise to No. 1 in the ATP rankings for the first time. This new, fighting, evolved Tsitsipas has shed, or tried to shed, the sulky, broody demeanour of the past. This version stays in it even after being warned for foot faults, for shot clock violations, for letting match points go. And this was long time coming! Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .