Stefanos Tsitsipas dedicated his first Grand Slam final appearance to his grandmother who died five minutes before he began his match against Novak Djokovic at the French Open on Sunday.
In an emotional post on Instagram after the match, the 22-year-old said “life isn’t about winning and losing” and revealed his grandmother had died.
“This is entirely dedicated to her and only her,” Tsitsipas said.
“Five minutes before entering the court my very beloved grandmother lost her battle with life.
“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.”
Tsitsipas’ grandmother was the mother of Apostolos, Tsitsipas’ father and coach.
“Thank you for raising my father,” Tsitsipas said. “Without him, this would not have been possible.”
Tsitsipas, one of the most highly-rated young players in the sport, was playing in his first major final after losing his three previous semi-finals.
