Stefanos Tsitsipas gives signed racquet to Greek-Australian foundation

The autographed racquet belonging to the World number five has been custom-framed for the auction that will take place during a free family-friendly event on Tuesday 12 April in Port Melbourne.

Greece’s star tennis player, Stefanos Tsitsipas, has always claimed to have a soft spot for Greeks Down Under, who welcome him and cheer him on like their hero, during the Australian Open, every year. So, it was without hesitation that the world number five, responded to Neos Kosmos contributor, Katerina Hatzi, for an autographed racquet, on behalf of Zoe Petropoulos, a young Greek from Melbourne who was born with Neurofibromatosis.

Zoe Petropoulos, the face of the Flicker of Hope Foundation, was overjoyed, as she has spent the last four years empowering the many thousands of Australians who live with the fear of the unknown, and in pain due to this rare condition which has no cure. Neurofibromatosis is a rare genetic disorder, that can cause bone deformities, learning disabilities, hearing and vision loss and chronic pain throughout the body.

Through the Flicker of Hope Foundation, which her family started in 2018, the 21-year-old’s sole ambition is to raise money for much needed research in the field, so that the medical community can better understand the disease and how to treat it, giving hope to those impacted. So far the foundation has raised over $1,300,000 in just three years, 100% of which is used to fund essential groundbreaking research.