Another stirring post-match Instagram rant from the 'Pas

[Cabeza del Demonio]

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2 years ago, the young Greek hero was felled in another instant classic. Leaving the court in tears, he proceeded to give us an Instagram rant for the ages. Then it was about his own journey of self-discovery, offering the world a little glimpse into the mentality of a pro tennis player in the heat of battle.

So much has changed since then. That inexperienced young NextGenner playing in the second week for the first time is now a confident young star, working his way into the French Open final with the self-assurance of a man who senses greatness is his destiny. But this time he had a much different battle to fight.

It was not merely his own inner demons, but tragedy striking at the worst possible time.

And despite the inevitable shock and grief of finding out a relative had passed away mere minutes before taking court, he still fought on and nearly pulled off one of the great spoiler acts in sporting history. This time it wasn't Stefanos vs himself. It was Stefanos vs the world, and he damn near won.

Today will be remembered as the climactic act in the Legend of Novak Djokovic. But lost in the glamour and the triumphant headlines is perhaps a moment whose importance won't be fully appreciated for years, a crucial chapter in the beginning of another Greek epic - the Legend of Stefanos Tsitsipas.

 

[Lleytonstation]

I won't take any shots at him after hearing about his Granny. I will wait till WC.

 

[TheNachoMan]

I wanted to meme on him but nothing but respect for him. His time will come

 

[Cabeza del Demonio]

I won't take any shots at him after hearing about his Granny. I will wait till WC.

Take all the shots you like. He'll be too busy kissing the trophy to notice

 

[Jai]

I will only point out one small detail here, that his Post itself DOES NOT claim he came to know about her sad passing BEFORE the match. He only says she passed away 5 minutes before, not that he knew it then.

At that time, he would have been warming up on court, so it's highly unlikely someone told him then. I'm not minimising the sadness of this loss by any means, I'm just pointing out that from his demeanor throughout the match and from the wording of his own insta post, it seems more likely he was told of the news only later.

 

[Lleytonstation]

Take all the shots you like. He'll be too busy kissing the trophy to notice

Who Tsits?

 

[NedStark]

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

2 years ago, the young Greek hero was felled in another instant classic. Leaving the court in tears, he proceeded to give us an Instagram rant for the ages. Then it was about his own journey of self-discovery, offering the world a little glimpse into the mentality of a pro tennis player in the heat of battle.

So much has changed since then. That inexperienced young NextGenner playing in the second week for the first time is now a confident young star, working his way into the French Open final with the self-assurance of a man who senses greatness is his destiny. But this time he had a much different battle to fight.

It was not merely his own inner demons, but tragedy striking at the worst possible time.

And despite the inevitable shock and grief of finding out a relative had passed away mere minutes before taking court, he still fought on and nearly pulled off one of the great spoiler acts in sporting history. This time it wasn't Stefanos vs himself. It was Stefanos vs the world, and he damn near won.

Today will be remembered as the climactic act in the Legend of Novak Djokovic. But lost in the glamour and the triumphant headlines is perhaps a moment whose importance won't be fully appreciated for years, a crucial chapter in the beginning of another Greek epic - the Legend of Stefanos Tsitsipas.

IMO Stefanos only knew about it after the match.

 

[Cabeza del Demonio]

IMO Stefanos only knew about it after the match.

Source? It says 5 minutes before taking the court. And besides, he would've known about her condition beforehand regardless.

Without a doubt, this must've been one of the most brutal days of his life.

 

[NedStark]

Source? It says 5 minutes before taking the court. And besides, he would've known about her condition beforehand regardless.

Without a doubt, this must've been one of the most brutal days of his life.

Agree with the latter two sentences. His post said his grandma died 5 mins before the match, not he knew it 5 mins before the match.

 

[Tennis_Freak99]

Heartbreaking. I like this guy and Medvedev a lot. Looks like in the post Big 3 world, I will learn to root for these guys

 

[Jai]

Source? It says 5 minutes before taking the court. And besides, he would've known about her condition beforehand regardless.

Without a doubt, this must've been one of the most brutal days of his life.

The primary source is his insta post. Refer that. He only says she passed away 5 minutes prior, not that he knew of it then.

The ATP website article only references the insta post as a source. The article itself adds no new info apart from quoting his post, the blurb on top insinuates that he knew from before BUT that IS NOT stated anywhere in the primary source.

 

[MichaelNadal]

Seeing him cry after the match was sad

 

[Hitman]

This guy has multiple slams written all over him. I woudn't be surprised once Rafa decides to hang it up, that this guy will step into his shoes on the clay.

 

[DRII]

They better not have told him before the match!

That would have been one of the cruelest, and stupidest, things any team could do to a player.

 

[Jai]

They better not have told him before the match!

That would have been one of the cruelest, and stupidest, things any team could do to a player.

From what is stated in Tsitsi's insta post as well as his demeanor throughout the match, I don't think at all that he was told before the match. He himself does not claim that in his post, just says that she'd passed away a bit before the match started, NOT that he came to know at that point.

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

That’s heartbreaking. Huge respect to Tsitsipas though. He was very close yesterday. His time will come as he’s only 22. His game has improved so much even in last 12 months. The young Greek will be back and no doubt make her proud.

 

[Rafa4LifeEver]

I wanted to meme on him but nothing but respect for him. His time will come

Has to improve return though.
Not being able to generate a break point for almost 4 sets on clay is atrocious, gentleman.

 

[steenkash]

He is probably my favourite of the Next Gen. His game is good, just needs to hold his nerves better. He can hire Novak as a coach to train him mentally, Nadal to train his aggression and Federer to pick out the best white military jacket.

 

[DRII]

Has to improve return though.
Not being able to generate a break point for almost 4 sets on clay is atrocious, gentleman.

His BH returns to be more specific.

That backhand of his was his Achilles heel in the match and Djokovic exploited it as much as he could.

When Tpas is confident and fully fit, his BH is great. But as soon as he looses some concentration or his movement becomes hindered due to injury or fatigue, his BH becomes very vulnerable!

He hasn't learned to effectively slice yet and use it as a relief shot. Although he was slicing more this RG, his slice is not efficient. He actually comes over the ball slightly when he slices instead of just using one flowing stroke.

So anyway, it's amazing how good a player he is even with the noticeable holes in his game.

He also served very well all tournament, besides the last 3 sets of the final. His serve can also break down sometimes.

 

[Rafa4LifeEver]

His BH returns to be more specific.

That backhand of his was his Achilles heel in the match and Djokovic exploited it as much as he could.

When Tpas is confident and fully fit, his BH is great. But as soon as he looses some concentration or his movement becomes hindered due to injury or fatigue, his BH becomes very vulnerable!

He hasn't learned to effectively slice yet and use it as a relief shot. Although he was slicing more this RG, his slice is not efficient. He actually comes over the ball slightly when he slices instead of just using one flowing stroke.

So anyway, it's amazing how good a player he is even with the noticeable holes in his game.

He also served very well all tournament, besides the last 3 sets of the final. His serve can also break down sometimes.

Also needs to work upon improving firepower in his shots, his forehand starts dropping short after 5 consecutive hit.

 

[Dominic & Andrey]

I am curious to see how well he will do in the grass season, and after that on HC. I think maybe he should hire a new coach, or even an entire new team to improve even more his game/mental game.
That loss is tough but he's not the first guy who lost his first slam final, I am sure he will bounce back

 

[mwym]

This defeat can make him win more in a long run. His mind will decide if it is able to use defeat like Djokovic does, to learn what his weaknesses are, accept them and redefine itself. The wisest move would be to invent a way to bond with Djokovic behind the scenes esp once Djokovic retire. Many can improve his technical issues. Djokovic is The Person to mentor him how to elevate his mind from a child to a man, from a weakness to a weapon. But his mind has to accept the obvious ASAP.

Every human mind can decide to use itself on itself wisely by accepting it's current faults and limits first.

Remember, Djokovic will want to extend his legacy in sport he adores beyond his playing achievements. He did not learnt what he knows to take it to grave.

All it takes is Stefanos to grasp this. Now is the time to start, always.

You know the man by the road he takes.

 

[NedStark]

Also needs to work upon improving firepower in his shots, his forehand starts dropping short after 5 consecutive hit.

This is simple yet not simple. Just need someone to tell him to hit through the ball instead of spinning it. The problem is, who will?

Thiem did have a similar problem years before, and he was only able to change after hiring Massu.

 

[yokied]

I guess it says something about my close-mindedness that as a Fedfan, of Fed's age, I find Fed's misguided, frosted-tipped youth much more endearing than Stef's soulful journey.

 

[Jai]

Ok so since this news (of Tsitsi's Grandmother's passing and when he came to know about it) has been discussed over a couple threads on the forum, pasting here what is being circulated on twitter. I don't know how to embed screenshot of tweets here, so am just pasting the content.

as an addendum to this i want to clarify Stef did not know of his grandmother's passing before he stepped on the court, as the quoted tweet mistakenly says. his family kept it from him and told him after his press conference.
after the press con, the president of the Cypriot community in Paris held a small get together for him, with some family and friends. he said that about ten minutes into that, his family told him his grandma passed and he left immediately.

 

[GhostofPetros]

Wrong attitude Tsitsi. Let truth rather than feel good nonsense guide your reflections. Learn from your experience. You are obviously there to win, and more than capable of doing so. Reflect on ways to realize your vision next time.

 

[NoleFam]

That's sad to hear. Not sure why they would tell him 5 minutes before the match though. Maybe they thought it would make him play better and give him something else to play for.

 

[mike danny]

Ok so since this news (of Tsitsi's Grandmother's passing and when he came to know about it) has been discussed over a couple threads on the forum, pasting here what is being circulated on twitter. I don't know how to embed screenshot of tweets here, so am just pasting the content.

as an addendum to this i want to clarify Stef did not know of his grandmother's passing before he stepped on the court, as the quoted tweet mistakenly says. his family kept it from him and told him after his press conference.
after the press con, the president of the Cypriot community in Paris held a small get together for him, with some family and friends. he said that about ten minutes into that, his family told him his grandma passed and he left immediately.

So he didn't know while he was playing the match.

Sad news for him, but it would have been terrible if he'd known this info in the biggest match of his life.

 

[mike danny]

That's sad to hear. Not sure why they would tell him 5 minutes before the match though. Maybe they thought it would make him play better and give him something else to play for.

Apparently, his grandmother just passed away 5 minutes before the match but Tsitsi didn't yet know this.

Anyway, my heart goes to him. Tough to lose a family member.

 

[NoleFam]

Apparently, his grandmother just passed away 5 minutes before the match but Tsitsi didn't yet know this.

Anyway, my heart goes to him. Tough to lose a family member.

Oh I see. Well at least he didn't find out until afterwards. He would have been too emotional. Idk why but it's around RG that I recall players losing their loved ones: Seles' father, Djokovic's grandfather I think and now Tsistipas' grandmother.

 

[Stefan]

IMO Stefanos only knew about it after the match.

What is your point?

 

[King No1e]

My condolences to Stef and his family. If he really found out before the match, I'll take back everything I said about him being a mug.

 

[Rina]

Why are you such a jerk, Cabeza? The kid lost his grandma and someone saw it fit to tell him 6 days after it and 5 minutes before the biggest match of his life?
Are you devoid of human emotion?

 

[Jai]

My condolences to Stef and his family. If he really found out before the match, I'll take back everything I said about him being a mug.

It's been clarified already by Tsitsipas's family that he was told on later, after the match and the presser too. To be clear, he was not told before the match. This clarification has been shared yesterday on twitter.

 

[JustMy2Cents]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1404405389760864259

It's been clarified already by Tsitsipas's family that he was told on later, after the match and the presser too. To be clear, he was not told before the match. This clarification has been shared yesterday on twitter.

I saw that you said you didn't know how to post a screenshot of this tweet you had seen; You just have to paste the url of the tweet.

 

[zagor]

His BH returns to be more specific.

That backhand of his was his Achilles heel in the match and Djokovic exploited it as much as he could.

When Tpas is confident and fully fit, his BH is great. But as soon as he looses some concentration or his movement becomes hindered due to injury or fatigue, his BH becomes very vulnerable!

He hasn't learned to effectively slice yet and use it as a relief shot. Although he was slicing more this RG, his slice is not efficient. He actually comes over the ball slightly when he slices instead of just using one flowing stroke.

So anyway, it's amazing how good a player he is even with the noticeable holes in his game.

He also served very well all tournament, besides the last 3 sets of the final. His serve can also break down sometimes.

It also seems to me he has a lack of confidence going DTL with his BH.

 

[Sampras-Bruguera 1993]

I've learned not to count my chickens before they hatch. Yea he may dominate, but he also may only win 2-3 slams. You just never know with these kids. I thought Dimitrov would have a great career. Kygrios as well. Someone like Sinner may be the new dominant player. Maybe Zverev. Theres no guarantee because this generation completely disappears after a few good months and you're left going WTF!!!

 

[Raul_SJ]

It's been clarified already by Tsitsipas's family that he was told on later, after the match and the presser too. To be clear, he was not told before the match. This clarification has been shared yesterday on twitter.

Have they shared what happened to her?

 

[Cabeza del Demonio]

Ok, it does seem like I was wrong and he only found out after the match. I initially interpreted the news as him finding out immediately after it happened. Regardless, it had to be clearly one of the most difficult days in his life. Nothing but respect for his fight during the match and his classy response post-match.

 

[Deleted member 762343]

Regardless of what I think of him, he has the talent and resilience of a great player.

 

[JustMy2Cents]

Show must go on I guess. For Tsitsi, hearing about his granny after the match loss seems to have put things in perspective,

Here's Rublev making his trophy speech and mentioning that he had come to the tournament straight from his granny's funeral

And there was Roberto driving back and playing the day after his father's funeral and winning his match for Spain at the Davis cup.

Throughout the Davis Cup finals player’s have illustrated their commitment to their country in the competition, but Roberto Bautista Agut took it to another level.


The world No.9 was hit with personal tragedy half-way through the event in Madrid. On November 21st Bautista Agut left the competition to return home after receiving the news that his father’s health had taken a turn for the worse. Ximo Bautista had a serious domestic accident three years ago, which caused serious health issues. He passed away shortly after his son returned home.
Grieving for the loss of his father, 18 months after his mother died, Bautista Agut attended his funeral on Saturday. 24 hours after that he was back playing in the Davis Cup once again representing Spain.
“I made the decision to go home on Thursday and I was lucky to be with my father the last minutes of his life and say goodbye to him.” Bautista Agut told reporters. “My father would have given me an earful if I had stayed at home.”
The unexpected and admirable return of the 31-year-old brought glory to his team on Sunday. In the first tie of the final, Bautista Agut disposed of Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets to hand the hosts the lead. Victory was then sealed in the following match after Rafael Nadal defeated Denis Shapovalov.
“When I took the car to come (back to the Davis Cup), the last thing on my mind was to play,” he said.
“But in the final, my head wanted to face that game, and luckily it went well.’
“I didn’t know if I could measure up, but I left everything there. The moment has been very beautiful and unrepeatable.”


World No.1 Nadal has described his rival as an ‘inspiration’ for showing his commitment to the Davis Cup. Bautista Agut played a total of three matches in the seven-day event, winning two of those. His victory over Auger-Aliassime made him only the 10th Spanish player in history to have won a match in a Davis Cup final.

“What Roberto did today (Sunday) is something out of this planet,” Nadal said. “Roberto has been an inspiration to all of us.
“Whatever happens this cannot be a climax for someone who has lost his father this week.”

Roberto Bautista Agut: ‘My Father Would Have Given Me An Earful If I Had Stayed At Home’

The Spaniard opens up about his decision to return to the Davis Cup following the death of his father.

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