Comebacks in tennis do not get more impressive than beating a man who simply does not let go of his hold on a match when he is playing well. There is a reason why Rafael Nadal had lost only twice in his career in a five-set match after winning the first two sets.
But, there was a third entry into that little list as Stefanos Tsitsipas recovered from two sets down to stun Nadal in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Wednesday, ending the Spaniard’s bid for a record 21st Grand Slam title.
Second seed Nadal was on course for a comfortable victory before Tsitsipas turned the match around to prevail 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 7-5 in a seismic upset.
“I don’t know what happened after the third set – I fly like little bird, everything was working for me,” said Tsitsipas, who hit 49 winners and 17 aces.
Watch the highlights here:
Here are some reactions to an epic win for the Greek star:
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