Stefanos Tsitsipas peered into the abyss, but he remains a man on a mission. In danger of going the same way as his compatriot Maria Sakkari, who had exited the French Open in heart-wrenching fashion the previous evening, Tsistsipas survived an inspired fightback by sixth seed Alexander Zverev to become the first Greek player in history to reach the final of a major.
It was a performance of monumental fortitude from Tsitsipas, who has been a model of serene composure over the fortnight but was tested to the limit by an opponent who belatedly discovered the kind of irresistible tennis that almost carried him to the US Open title last autumn. For two sets, everything proceeded much as it had done throughout what has been a near-flawless tournament. Then Zverev belatedly found his service range, at one stage reeling off 18 consecutive points on his towering delivery, and suddenly all bets were off.
Having seen Sakkari come within a point of reaching the women’s final only to suffer a heart-breaking defeat, Tsitsipas was determined the same fate would not befall him. The key moment came at the start of the fifth set when, with the clock nudging the three-hour mark, the Greek dug deep to recover from 0-40 down on his serve. Forty minutes later he was home and dry, sealing a 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4 victory with an ace to ensure that, this time, a dramatic, protracted contest involving a Greek player carrying the hopes of a nation ended in tears of a more joyous kind.
“All I can think of is my roots, where I came from,” a clearly emotional Tsitsipas told Marion Bartoli. “I came from a small place outside Athens. My dream was to play here, my dream was to play on the big stage of the French Open one day. I would have never thought that I would.
“I’m very happy that Greece is more a part of the tennis community now, I’m very happy that me and Maria have been doing a great job so far elevating the sport and keeping the hopes of Greek tennis alive.”
Victory marked a new high watermark in what has been a stellar season for Tsistsipas, who arrived in Paris on the back of title wins in Monte Carlo and Lyon. He has been the most consistent player on the men’s side this year but, as he acknowledged, his tour-leading 39th victory of the year was by far the most important.
“It was very difficult, very emotional,” said Tsitsipas, who will face Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final after the Serb defeated the reigning champion Rafael Nadal. “I went through a lot of phases of emotional breakdowns, but this win means a lot, this win is the most important one of my career so far.”