“Everything about how I play is from my mum.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas is in little question concerning the affect that his mom, former WTA professional Julia Apostoli, has had on his rise to the highest of the sport. Not simply by way of elevating him and supporting him courtside since he was a junior, but additionally straight influencing the basics of his recreation.
“Single-handed backhand, serve and volley generally, it’s from my mum,” the nine-time tour-level titlist instructed ATPTour.com this week. “My mum was a really aggressive participant. Nowadays you don’t see many ladies with a single-handed backhand, however she had an attractive one, it was her finest stroke that she used very successfully. It’s one thing I think about a energy of mine as effectively. She has taught me a lot about that specific shot and he or she offers me recommendation on the web recreation as effectively.”
This week in Perth, Tsitsipas has spearheaded Team Greece’s United Cup marketing campaign alongside one other Top 10 star who grew up because the baby of a tennis participant, WTA No. 6 Maria Sakkari. Her mom Angeliki Kanellopoulou reached a career-high No. 43 within the WTA Rankings in 1987.
“I believe it’s very particular that we [Stef and I] are two superb gamers and each have very particular mums,” mentioned Sakkari. “For us, it’s an inspiration having two very highly effective girls in our lives and supporting us.
“She at all times tells me to get pleasure from it as a result of a tennis profession may be very brief. Towards the top of your profession, you realise that you must’ve loved it extra, in order that’s what she’s making an attempt to show me. I believe I’ve been doing effectively currently, having fun with my time on the Tour.”
Apostoli and Kanellopoulou, who know one another effectively, are common presences in Tsitsipas and Sakkari’s respective group bins on Tour, and each are glad to debate their very own experiences of enjoying professionally if it helps information their kids by means of their very own careers.
“It’s very useful to have somebody who has performed on the skilled stage,” mentioned Sakkari. “They can actually perceive all these feelings we really feel on the court docket and clearly educate us quite a lot of issues and inform us their opinions. The foremost factor is having their assist as a result of they know precisely how we really feel on the court docket. If I battle, I can ask my mum for recommendation, which may be very useful.”
“She has instilled in me the self-discipline,” added Tsitsipas of Apostoli. “She hasn’t been straightforward with me, and I believe that’s for a cause, to make me develop up stronger. She’s additionally a really loving, caring mum. I owe quite a bit to her. One factor I maybe have discovered from her is that to not have something exterior or from the opposite facet of the court docket have an effect on you, that’s how one can get down on your self and even lose matches.”
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Neither 24-year-old Tsitsipas nor 27-year-old Sakkari are sufficiently old to recollect their mums’ skilled enjoying careers. Yet Sakkari admitted that Kanellopoulou’s legacy alone, notably in Greece, didn’t at all times make issues straightforward for her as she tried to forge her personal profession within the recreation.
“At the age I fell in love with tennis, I used to be too younger to grasp what my mum was,” mentioned Sakkari. “She has an enormous title again at house within the tennis group. Once I realised she was an excellent participant, it wasn’t straightforward to deal with. Everyone expects you to win as a result of your mother was superb. At the identical time, I simply discovered a option to block it out and play my tennis, however at all times having her by my facet.”
For Tsitsipas, no less than one in every of his mum’s achievements as a professional is symbolically linked to his personal profession. The 24-year-old is a two-time champion on the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, the place Apostoli additionally received a singles title throughout her profession.
“It was fairly a cool achievement to share my title with my mum on the wall on the Monte Carlo Country Club,” mentioned Tsitsipas. “I keep in mind going there for the primary time after I was about 10 years outdated and seeing my mum’s title on the plaque. I used to be simply considering, ‘Maybe sometime I can obtain one thing comparable’.
“That’s the place my complete profession type of began. I used to go to southern France and play native tournaments after I was eight. Monte-Carlo Country Club was one of many very first golf equipment I visited overseas and one of many first tournaments I watched as a child. Being capable of see Nadal face Federer and different tennis legends, it has a particular connection in our household.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas embraces his mom Julia Apostoli after profitable in Monte Carlo in 2021. Photo Credit: Valery Hache/AFP through Getty
Although she can not keep in mind them, Sakkari nonetheless attracts classes from her mom’s tales of her enjoying days.
“Of course there have been quite a lot of tales,” mentioned the two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist. “When they performed, travelling and communication was harder. The variations between every now and then aren’t surprising to us, but it surely makes us recognize extra how simpler life is as we speak.”
Not all outdated household tales set the very best instance for the following technology, nonetheless, one thing acknowledged by Tsitsipas when sharing a light-hearted anecdote from his mom’s early days.
“My mother and her twin sister used to play doubles quite a bit, they have been champions again within the USSR,” defined Tsitsipas. “My aunt used to serve on a regular basis once they performed doubles as a result of she had the higher serve and some occasions the opponent realised that [only one of them was serving]. The referee instructed them to alter socks in order that he might differentiate them!
“This is a few of the sensible ways and mentality my mum carried out in me… [But] not in a foul means!”