Stefanos Tsitsipas is a hugely popular figure in Australia, and the Greek star admits he has carried with him "intense memories" due to the overwhelming crowd support.
The Australian swing is Tsitsipas' favorite time of the year and his most productive on a tennis court. Firstly, Tsitsipas enjoys a massive fanbase due to the large Greek population living there, who always cheer him up in impressive numbers every step of the way.
Secondly, Tsitsipas labeled the Australian Open as his "home Slam" because the weather in Melbourne is not too dissimilar to that in southwestern Attica, where he grew up.
It's not by accident that he's recorded some of his best results Down Under. Tsitsipas reached the second Grand Slam final of his career at the 2023 Australian Open, where the most decorated champion at the tournament, Novak Djokovic, prevented him from getting his breakthrough Slam.
In fact, before Melbourne, Tsitsipas played a blinder at the inaugural United Cup for his country, where they attained a semifinal finish. In their last four tie against Italy, which was played in Sydney, he called it "probably the best Greek support" that he's had the privilege of receiving in a tennis tournament.
"Every single Aussie swing that there has been so far, I've had a lot of fun playing those, traveling around Australia and just seeing Greeks show up in courts everywhere feels amazing to get that. This year in Sydney I've had probably the best Greek support that I have ever had in a tournament competition in my life."
"I've had an amazing atmosphere being built up during my match with Italy and it left me with some memorable, intense memories that live rent-free inside my head. I have enjoyed every single minute of it on court."
Tsitsipas has a great track record at the Melbourne Slam. Since his breakthrough run to the semis in 2019 which included a stunning win over then defending champion Roger Federer, he has reached the second week every single year since.
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