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Stefanos Tsitsipas follows up Roger Federer win to book 'nothing to lose' semi-final against Rafael Nadal

Stefanos Tsitsipas said one of his aims for the year was to reach a grand slam semi - Getty Images AsiaPac
Stefanos Tsitsipas said one of his aims for the year was to reach a grand slam semi - Getty Images AsiaPac

During Stefanos Tsitsipas’s post-match interview on Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday, a fan in the crowd shouted out “Greek freak!” It wasn’t a sledge, despite Australia’s long and distinguished history in this area.

Instead – as Tsitsipas immediately acknowledged – this was a reference to a Greek-Nigerian basketballer who goes by the same alias. “All we need is [Giannis] Antetokounmpo,” replied Tsitsipas, taking the interruption in good heart.

At 6ft 4in, Tsitsipas is not such an unusual physical specimen as Antetokounmpo, an NBA playmaker who stands seven inches taller. But there is something uncanny about his poise – both with the racket and in front of the microphone – that makes it hard to believe he is only 20.

After moving into the semi-finals with another spectacular performance, this new “Greek freak” told reporters that he aspires to deliver the complete tournament. In other words, he wants to become the first man to defeat the three greatest players of this or any other era – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at the same slam.

“I’m happy to play with these opponents,” said Tsitsipas. “I think they make me better and I learnt many things playing against them. I hope it happens [because] I have nothing to lose. There are only positives.”

Having announced himself on Sunday with a spectacular win over Federer, Tsitsipas was widely expected to suffer a letdown against a far less glamorous opponent: the impassive Spaniard Roberto – or should that be Roboto? – Bautista Agut.

Stefanos Tsitsipas celebrates after the match - Credit: Getty images
Tsitsipas was overwhelmed by the victory Credit: Getty images

It’s not easy to back up such a dramatic breakthrough, and many pundits were picking Bautista Agut – who had won all nine of his previous matches this season – to burst the Greek bubble.

In the event, Tsitsipas confounded the sceptics with a near-perfect reprise of his previous win – or wins, rather. For the fifth straight match at this tournament, he closed the deal in four sets. And for the fifth straight match, he sprayed more winners than Grandstand’s much-missed teleprinter.

By the time he arrived in the interview room after his 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 victory, Tsitsipas was literally glowing. Admittedly, this was because he had failed to apply enough suncream – an offence that is tantamount to civil disobedience in the ozone-depleted nanny state that is Australia. But his mood was almost as luminous as his forehead.

“I played him once on clay, once hard court,” said Tsitsipas of Nadal, who will be his semi-final opponent on Thursday. “I felt very close to beating him in Toronto, though the score was 6-2, 7-6. I remember coming back to the locker room and promising to myself I'm going to do much better against him next time.”

 Roberto Bautista Agut in action against Stefanos Tsitsipas - Credit: Getty images
Roberto Bautista Agut was ultimately well beaten Credit: Getty images

There was one potential flashpoint during the quarter-final. As he left the court for a bathroom break at the end of the third set, Tsitsipas received a code violation for coaching from his player’s box.

Patrick Mouratoglou – the man who created an international storm when he made coaching signals to Serena Williams during the US Open final – sits in the front row of Tsitsipas’s box. Later, though, Tsitsipas explained that the penalty had been against Apostolos, his father and official coach. “He told me to drink more, and that was it.”

Tsitsipas got the first part of his wish when Nadal thumped 21-year-old American Frances Tiafoe in just 1hr 47min, the quickest of his five straight-sets victories to date.

Nadal being Nadal, this win was not without its medical subplot. Afterwards, he faced questions about the strapping on his abdomen. (Bear in mind that a stomach-muscle problem had forced him to pull out of his planned warm-up event in Brisbane without hitting a ball.)

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“I am in the semi-finals,” replied Nadal. “Is not the day to talk about this. Thank you very much for your worry. Things that happen during the tournament, that's all.”

Nadal had not seemed at all inhibited against Tiafoe, handing out the sort of thrashing that Manchester City routinely apply to lesser opposition. His remodelled serve was in fine form, clocking up 11 aces and restricting the overmatched Tiafoe to two break points.

“If he got hold of a forehand, it was going to be barbecued chicken,” said Tiafoe afterwards, with a wry grin. “Point in, point out, I've never seen someone so locked in.”

Should Tsitsipas somehow defeat Nadal, he would match the run of his friend Marcos Baghdatis, the Greek Cypriot who reached the final here in 2006. These two were meant to play doubles together this fortnight, before Baghdatis welched at the last minute.

Even then, though, Tsitsipas would probably wind up facing Djokovic, the six-time Australian Open champion, in the trophy match. (Djokovic’s own quarter-final, against his long-time bunny Kei Nishikori, should start on Wednesday at around 8.30am GMT.)

Should the rest of the draw play out as Tsitsipas apparently wants it to, he would need a miracle to claim the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup on Sunday. But you can’t fault the man’s ambition.

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