"I was witnessing legacy" - Stefanos Tsitsipas recalls playing alongside Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the 2019 Laver Cup
ATP
With the 2024 edition of the Laver Cup only a few weeks away, Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas took some time to reminiscence on his experience of competing alongside tennis legends Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
The 2024 Laver Cup is scheduled to take place in Berlin, Germany from September 20-22, 2024. The international event will see ATP stars represent wither Team Europe or Team World, as they compete in both singles and doubles for the prestigious trophy.
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Tsitsipas grateful for learning experience at event
The former World No.3 will be competing on behalf of Team Europe this year, as they hope to avenge last year's loss to Team World. Prior to the event, Tsitsipas took some time to delve into his mindset regarding the event. The Greek trailblazer expressed his gratitude at getting to play alongside his biggest idols in Federer and Nadal at the 2019 and 2021 editions of the annual event.
It brought me closer to my heroes," said Tsitsipas. "It brought me closer to their personalities and what they feel like in real life. I was able to admire them in a different way, on a different scale than I was before. And getting to meet them, getting to talk to them in a way that I don’t usually do when I’m on the regular tour. It brought a lot of emotions and a lot of great memories.
“I wasn’t just watching any regular tennis there. I was witnessing legacy. I was observing how their body language is, what makes them such incredible athletes, and for me, it was just a learning experience. Being there.
"I felt absolutely grateful that I got to share that with them. I felt grateful for my entire journey leading up to the Laver Cup because I felt like I have come a long way to earn my spot within that team, and it, in a way, reflected greatly my journey and everything that I’ve put in, in order to earn my spot."
“I wasn’t just watching any regular tennis there. I was witnessing legacy. I was observing how their body language is, what makes them such incredible athletes, and for me, it was just a learning experience. Being there.
"I felt absolutely grateful that I got to share that with them. I felt grateful for my entire journey leading up to the Laver Cup because I felt like I have come a long way to earn my spot within that team, and it, in a way, reflected greatly my journey and everything that I’ve put in, in order to earn my spot."
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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