After weeks of hype, Australian Open semifinalist Stefanos Tsitsipas appeared tired yet optimistic when speaking to media representatives and members of the Greek community on Saturday night.

The event, organised by the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria (GOCMV), allowed fans to express their admiration and meet with the tennis star.

The 20-year-old Greek gun pointed out that the love and support he felt from the people during the games was unbelievable, making him feel that fans wanted his win more than he himself did. Rather than feel the pressure weigh him down, the sheer force of people’s love carried him as far as it did.

“I don’t know where they find the energy! It’s crazy! It’s like football stadium energy transferred onto a tennis court. I had a sensation of euphoria and other great feelings inside the field with the support of all the people that came to see me, both Greeks and others, mainly Australians. It was unbelievable, I don’t think I’ve ever had such massive support in my life”, said Tsitsipas. And that is no small feat bearing in mind the huge support he enjoys from his own parents and siblings that have been beside him over the years. He said that family is the most important thing in the world for him, and without them, he wouldn’t be in the position he is today.

He was hopeful that his success at the Australian Open would be the sign of great things to come, however he admitted to feeling empty after it was over – “like the flame within had burnt out”. He repeated that the game with Rafael Nadal had been relentless, giving him “no chance” to claim a win. He also pointed to 32-year-old Nadal as the absolute favourite to win the top prize in Sunday’s final.

He closed with a word of advice for young people wanting to follow in his footsteps: “First of all, I’d like to give them a small warning. It won’t be easy. There will be a lot of challenges along the way. They need to know this before they get in. But they shouldn’t give up on their dreams, I’m sure they each have their own aspirations to make something of themselves in this sport. So I imagine one good piece of advice would be to keep the faith. Keep training hard of course because some may think that it’ll just fall in their lap but that’s definitely not the case. I had to learn that the hard way. And to stay devoted to the sport.”

Earlier GOCMV President Bill Papastergiadis had stated that even though he truly believed in the youngster’s win over Nadal, he wasn’t disappointed because he knows Tsitsipas is still young and has all the time ahead of him to find the way to success: “It’s been a wonderful two weeks for us. We didn’t expect the journey to be as it was, but I’m sure Stefanos did. Because he’s a man on a mission. He takes defeat badly because he aspires to win and to be number one in the world. He’s had invitations from around the world to join other nations but he’s stood steadfast for the Greek country, the Greek government and the Greek society that he loves. We feel privileged to have him beside us. He is one of us.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Greek Centre

Official countdown to the 32nd Lonsdale Street Greek Festival, served by Greek sensation Stefanos Tsitsipas.Πάμε Ελλάδα!#lovelonsdale #letsgo #countdown #tsitsipas #tsitsifast #ausopen #australianopen #happyslam #melbourne #melb #melbmoment #greekprecinct #greekaustralians

Posted by The Greek Centre on Saturday, January 26, 2019

Meanwhile, the General Consul of Greece in Melbourne, Dimitris Michalopoulos compared the successes of Tsitsipas and tennis ace Maria Sakkari to that of the Greek basketball team in the Eurobasket of ‘87 or Voula Patoulidou in the Olympics of ‘92, stressing that it will help bring Greek kids closer to the sport: “I would like to thank Stefanos because it was thanks to his efforts that all Greeks were able to unite,” he said.

“On the same days when you were winning games inside the Melbourne tennis courts, there were significant decisions being made back in Greece. But everyone had you on their mind. Everyone had their eyes on Melbourne and were waiting to hear the good news from Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari.

“And both you and Maria showed what our nation is truly capable of.”

Proud dad holds up front page of Neos Kosmos featuring his son.

Finally, Stefanos’ father and member of his training team, Apostolos also made a few comments, expressing his pride for his son. He also took a moment to thank the rest of the members of their family for the endless patience they have shown throughout the years: “Finally, I’d like to thank the Greek community of Australia and the people that invited us here and embraced us from the very beginning. Your contribution is enormous because it is very important for an athlete to have positive energy and the support of the crowd. I hope all Greeks have something to gain from my son’s success, whether they’re in Greece, Australia, or anywhere else in the world.”

Afterwards, Stefanos Tsitsipas signed autographs and took pictures with most of the guests and left the event obviously exhausted, but with a smile of gratitude written across his face.

Greek community thanks @Stefanos Tsitsipas for his performance that did us proud at the Australian Open

Posted by NEOS KOSMOS on Saturday, January 26, 2019