Seven weeks before the Australian Open began, as most tennis players were figuring out how they would tackle the off-season to come, Stefanos Tsitsipas had a different predicament. After years of pain management and a bitter withdrawal from the 2021 ATP Finals, he had undergone surgery on his right elbow to alleviate his problems for good. As he lay in his hospital bed on 23 November, Tsitsipas faced a race to be ready in time for a new season.
On Monday night, before a thunderous crowd filled to 50% capacity with members of Melbourne’s Greek community, Tsitsipas, the fourth seed, recovered from two sets to one down against one of the tour’s in-form players, defeating American Taylor Fritz 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals. Tsitsipas will next face the 11th seed, Jannik Sinner, who was an efficient 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-4 winner over Alex de Minaur.
