TSITSIPAS Stefanos

General
INFLUENCER
He runs his own YouTube channel, which boasts over 180,000 subscribers, and hosts a podcast called 'A Greek Abroad'. "For me it's a way of living in the moment. It gives me a lot of freedom. I feel free, like I'm in my own world. It feels like an escape from tennis, like a hobby that could potentially lead to a second job one day." (atptour.com, 28 Jun 2021; bbc.co.uk, 03 Feb 2021)

NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE
In October 2016 he and a friend nearly drowned after they were dragged out to sea by a current while swimming in Crete, Greece. His father Apostolos swam in after them and eventually helped them to safety. "We couldn't breathe, I felt awful to be inside the water and was terrified. I didn't know how all this was going to end. My father saw us from afar and he jumped in, started swimming towards us and pushed us towards the beach. I was just a few breaths away from dying. If we were supposed to die and lose our lives that day, we would have done it together. My father was a hero. That was the day I saw life with a different perspective. I remember after that how much psychologically it changed me." (bbc.co.uk, 03 Feb 2021; greekcitytimes.com, 27 Jun 2021)