Stefanos Tsitsipas, Greece’s 22-year-old tennis star, played one of the matches of his career on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, it resulted in a loss.
Novak Djokovic, arguably the greatest player in the history of the sport, rallied from a two-set deficit to beat Tsitsipas in the French Open final on Sunday. This was Grand Slam No. 19 for Djokovic, who continues to add to his G.O.A.T resume.
We’ve now learned that Tsitsipas was playing with a heavy heart in the championship match.
The world’s No. 4 overall player revealed that he learned of his grandmother’s passing just before playing in the final match on Sunday.
“Life isn’t about winning or losing. It’s about enjoying every single moment in life whether that’s alone or with others. Living a meaningful life without misery and abjection. Lifting trophies and celebrating wins is something, but not everything. 5 minutes before entering the court my very beloved grandmother lost her battle with life,” he wrote.
“A wise woman whose faith in life, and willingness to give and provide can’t be compared to any other human being that I have ever met. It’s important to have more people like her in this world. Because people like her make you come alive. They make you dream. I would like to say that regardless of the day, circumstance or situation, this is entirely dedicated to her, and only her. Thank you for for raising my father. Without him this wouldn’t have been possible.”
Tsitsipas took the first two sets of the Grand Slam final, though Djokovic rallied with incredible form, ultimately winning, 6-7 (8-6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
The future is clearly extremely bright for Tsitsipas, though, and he will be playing for his grandmother moving forward.
The post Stefanos Tsitsipas Received Heartbreaking News Before French Open Final appeared first on The Spun.