- Stefanos Tsitsipas produced an incredible winner at the Australian Open
- He left Zizou Berg stunned during their first round match
- Tsitsipas’s winner could end up being the shot of the tournament
Stefanos Tsitsipas has enrolled himself in the ‘shot of the tournament’ conversation after producing a stunning winner at the Australian Open.
Tsitsipas, 25, left his opponent, Zizou Bergs, speechless in their first round clash on Rod Laver Arena on Monday, with his incredible skill stunning the Melbourne crowd.
As Bergs hit a shot which barely went over the net, the ball viciously spun back and was travelling towards the Belgian’s side of the court.
Tsitsipas, desperate to get to the ball, raced towards the net and just about managed to swat the ball into play, the angle so fine that Bergs was unable to return.
Even more impressively, Tsitsipas executed the shot without touching the net – which is a violation resulting in the award of the point to his opponent.
Stefanos Tsitsipas produced a stunning winner at the Australian Open on Monday
He reached over the net and swiped a winner when the odds were stacked against him
The Greek star believes that that moment was the turning point in the match
Bergs, dumbstruck by what he just witnessed, put his hand to his mouth and turned away as Tsitsipas lapped up the praise of the Rod Laver Arena.
The International Tennis Federation Rule 24 states:
‘Your racquet can cross the net as long as it never touches it.
‘This does not mean you can just start reaching across the net to hit balls before they come to your side. Before you can hit a return, the ball must first cross over the net to your side of the court.’
Following his four-set win over Berg, Tsitsipas reflected: ‘That shot was extraordinary; I don’t know how I even got that shot.
‘I thought for a split-second when he hit the underspin volley that that was it, I would have to prepare for the next point.
‘But I guess not wanting to give up and just giving it a try gave me that point, which I believe turned around the match in that particular moment today.’
