Stefanos Tsitsipas reveals life-threatening accident at 15: "I almost didn’t make it"

Stefanos Tsitsipas revealed he "almost lost his life" in a terrifying accident at just 15 years old. The world No. 11 has had a strong run at the Paris Masters, advancing to the quarterfinals with victories over Roberto Carballes Baena, Alejandro Tabilo, and Francisco Cerundolo.

The Greek tennis star has been a prominent name on the Tour in recent years, but things could have turned out differently years before his professional debut, as Tsitsipas recently shared: "It was a terrifying experience," the 2-time Grand Slam runner-up said.

Tsitsipas recalls life-changing incident

In a recent interview with "Hola" alongside his girlfriend Paula Badosa, he spoke about the incident that nearly cost him his life. "I don’t think I’ve ever had such an experience, which taught me to live every moment, to be grateful, and not to take anything for granted in life,” he said. “It must have had an impact on me because I also realised how terrifying nature can be, especially when you’re not aware of it.”

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“The sea has great cultural value in Greece, and I spent a lot of time on the sea and islands as a child. That day taught me, for the rest of my life, that there are always dangers you can’t control.”

In 2017, at just 19, he broke into the top 100 and achieved his first win over a top-10 player by defeating David Goffin (then No. 10) in Antwerp. A year later, he reached his first Masters 1000 final at the Canadian Open and won the Next Gen ATP Finals, before capturing the ATP Finals title in 2018.

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To date, Tsitsipas has 11 titles (including three Monte Carlo Masters titles) and has been runner-up in 18 finals, including the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open. The Greek now awaits his quarterfinal match against world No. 3 Alexander Zverev, against whom he holds a favorable 10-5 head-to-head record.