In 2012, a thirteen-year-old wannabe tennis champion, Stefanos Tsitsipas, stands in front of a camera and says that Roger Federer is his idol. He also states that his strong characteristics of his game are backhand and volley. 7 years later, the 20-year-old Greek champion triumphs at the Australian Open against his idol, using his backhand and volleys to dominate! Yes, the story of Stefanos Tsitsipas is made out of the sweetest children’s dreams!

The Greek tennis champion, who is making proud all Greeks, has ruled out the top of all times, the “king” of the courts, Roger Federer, with a 3-1 set win, continuing his trip to the Australian Open. “It’s incredible what I’m living right now. I can’t believe it, we were here on the court and I beat him. It is a dream came true. Roger is a legend for our sport. I have absolute respect for him. It’s my idol since I was six years old. It’s unbelievable“…  Stefanos Tsitsipas managed to say.

Shortly afterwards, the Greek champion posted in a social media network for the third time an ancient quote, this time by Socrates: “Education like fertile land, always brings something good“, wrote Tsitsipas. The previous two times he had chosen quotes from Aristotle and Homer.

Η παιδεία, καθάπερ ευδαίμων χώρα, πάντα τ’ αγαθά φέρει. pic.twitter.com/zhrCD1m95O

— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@StefTsitsipas) January 20, 2019

To consider his success, it is worth mentioning that Tsitsipas became the first player to win Federer in Melbourne, and more generally in Australia, from 2016! In 2017 and 2018 the Swiss remained undefeated in the Australian season. It is also worth mentioning that this was the first time that Federer was eliminated from the Australian Open in the 4th round after 2003. And all of this, just after the equally important and historic victory of the Greek duo Tsitsipas / Sakkari against the Swiss duo Federer/ Bencic at the Hopman Cup held in Australia as well!

The historical qualification against Roger Federer has resulted a rise of two places in the world ranking for Tsitsipas.. From 15th, he climbed 13th with 2445 points. This is the highest position in Stefanos Tsitsipas career. Indeed, if he wins the tournament in Melbourne, he will put himself the Top 10 (he will reach 4085 points).

John Patrick McEnroe, the American superstar and holder of 7 Grand Slams trophies, said at the time of the match that “ladies and gentlemen we are watching the changing of the guard.”

“Tsitsipas, the Greek successor, defeated his idol at the age of 20. It is more an achievement of Tsitsipas than Federer’s defeat.” These words, among others, came from French newspaper Equipe.

BBC, referred to Tsitsipas as the “next big thing” in the world of tennis.

And all these are just a few of the countless articles – publications – tributes from the world press for the Greek champion.

The story of world tennis continues with Greek style!

The Greek champion after his win against the “King” Roger Federer, confirmed that he is one of the world’s top tennis players. Better in critical moments from his Spanish opponent, he beat Roberto Bautista Agut with 3-1 sets and qualified to the semifinals of the first Grand Slam of the year, where he will face Rafael Nadal!

After the match he did not conceal his joy: “It all feels like a fairytale almost. I’m just living the dream, living what I’ve been working for,” he said. “I feel a bit emotional but not too much because I know I really worked hard to get here.“

“The biggest challenge was to be prepared for this match. All we need right now is Giannis Antetokounmpo  here. It was a great victory that caught the attention of the world. It was challenging to stay focused, but I’m glad I played well because I showed that I was little influenced by the previous race“, he said.

Shortly thereafter, the Greek champion posted in a social media network for the fourth time an ancient quote, this time by Julius Caesar. He wrote: “man by nature, what he wants, that he thinks“.

Φύσει γαρ άνθρωπος, ό βούλεται, τούτο και οίεται. pic.twitter.com/47a4Mf2oid

— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@StefTsitsipas) January 22, 2019

After qualifying for the Australian Open semifinals, from the 13th place in the world ranking he will be 12th at the minimum. The Greek athlete proved to be entering the elite of the top and he became the youngest tennis player after Novak Djokovic, who qualified for a Grand Slam semifinal (20 years old and 168 days) .