Stefanos Tsitsipas, the Greek tennis star, wasn’t in the best of health during the 2023 World Tennis League. Yet, he decided to make an exception before the final tie.
His team, The Kites, had made it to the final. The team included Tsitsipas, his girlfriend Paula Badosa, and her tour bestie, Aryna Sabalenka.
Tsitsipas only played for the team on the competition’s first day. He first partnered with Badosa, and they won their debut match as a couple. Later, he teamed up with Grigor Dimitrov, but they lost to Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev.
The second day of the competition saw Tsitsipas stepping back from the playing part of the team. He was replaced by Lloyd Harris but continued to cheer his teammates from the sidelines.
It seemed like Tsitsipas had withdrawn from the tournament. He was officially replaced by another player in the four-player team competition. But, as they say, anything can happen in exhibition tournaments.
For the competition’s final day, Tsitsipas is ready to step up again. The Kites are bending the rules a bit, with a total of five players competing against The Eagles in the final tie.
First, Tsitsipas and Badosa will team up for mixed doubles. Then, Badosa will pair with Sabalenka for women’s doubles. Tsitsipas won’t be playing men’s doubles, as Dimitrov and Harris are set to represent The Kites.
Sabalenka will compete in the women’s singles, while Dimitrov will try to seal the tie in the men’s singles. It’s a surprising turn of events, considering Tsitsipas’s earlier decision to step back and his replacement by Harris. But hey, in exhibitions, everything is possible.
Takeaways
‣ Stefanos Tsitsipas was not feeling well at the 2023 World Tennis League but made an exception to play ahead of the final tie.
‣ Tsitsipas initially played for the team only on the first day of the competition, teaming up with his girlfriend, Paula Badosa, for their first match as a couple and then playing alongside Grigor Dimitrov.
‣ Despite withdrawing from the tournament and being replaced by Lloyd Harris, Tsitsipas is set to step up again for the final day of the competition, with his team bending the rules to allow a total of five players to compete.