Two Greeks in the semifinals at Roland Garros, raise your hand if you expected it. Better: that Stefanos Tsitsipas would get there, if not taken for granted, very likely, given that at Grand Slam level he has played two more and is number 5 in the world. The surprise, the intruder, the unexpected is instead Maria Sakkari, who of ‘Stef’ is perhaps something more than a compatriot and a friend, but who until now had never gone beyond two eighths, to the Australian and the US Open, and instead managed today in the (relative) enterprise of eliminating the outgoing champion of Paris, Iga Swiatek. Hypermuscular, with a warrior bun and intense gaze, Maria who, before picking up the racket, also tried volleyball, swimming, athletics and even karate, is the daughter of art: her mother is Angeliki Kannellopoulou , world number 43 in 1987. «I grew up in the tennis atmosphere thanks to her – she explained -. While my father comes from Sparta: if I don’t fight on the pitch, I feel empty ». The Leonidas of tennis definitely surpassed her mother, and any other Greek tennis player except, at the moment, for Eleni Daniilidou, number 14 WTA in 2003, who, however, achieved a maximum of three eighths in the Slams (third round at Roland Garros). Maria is number 18 in the world, and finds herself quite sensationally favored at this point in the tournament.
It is the first time in Roland Garros history that none of the four semi-finalists have ever played a semi-final in the Grand Slam before, and Maria is by far the best placed. If she will face the number 23, the Czech Barbora Krejcikova, who eliminated the American Coco Gauff, while in the other match they will meet an old acquaintance like 32-year-old Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who ten years ago was defeated by Francesca Schiavone on the road to second final of the Leonessa, and who in the meantime has had time to retire from tennis and return (today she is # 32) – and Slovenian Tamara Zidansek, number 85, she is a real intruder at this level of a major. As evidence of the very uncertain moment of women’s tennis, which lives without hierarchies, without continuity of results, with very few characters capable of capturing attention and without a true leader. Now at sunset Serena Williams, Osaka has unfortunately shown that she is going through a dark period, and perhaps that she does not have the charisma of the number 1; Ashleigh Barty plays well but gets injured often and doesn’t shine as a personality, Coco Gauff is still immature and both Muguruza and Halep are too choppy.
On the other hand, one who would like to take the whole stage is certainly the Athenian Tsitsipas, who will meet Sasha Zverev in the semi-final ‘of the challengers’ on Friday.
Handsome, young and a little arrogant – as well as being the son of a tennis player, Russian Julia Salnikova – Stefanos does not hide. «All the players think they can win the tournament, everyone knows they can play well, and I am succeeding. It doesn’t help me to think that neither Nadal nor Djokovic are on my side of the scoreboard, because whoever arrived did so by playing excellent tennis. I’m in the third consecutive Grand Slam final, and it’s the result of all the work I do every day. But my ego tells me I want more. ‘ From Sparta and Athens to the conquest of Paris. Waiting for the Roman Empire to strike a blow too.