“It’s a combination of body, mind and soul, all put together at the right place at the right time,” Stefanos Tsitsipas says as he searches for the mysterious difference that turns an outstanding tennis player, who has reached multiple semi-finals and finals, into a grand slam winner. Tsitsipas has lost twice to Novak Djokovic in grand slam finals, at the French and Australian Open, where he has also reached three other semi-finals.
In Paris, in 2021, he won the first two sets before Djokovic unleashed his full ferocity and intensity. Last year, Tsitsipas would have become world No 1 had he beaten Djokovic in the Australian Open final. Instead, he lost two tie-breaks in a straight-sets defeat and the rest of his year became an injury-plagued struggle which has seen him slip to seventh in the rankings.
