'It's wrong': Disturbing detail about Australian Open star's hair
Stefanos Tsitsipas has left an emphatic mark on this year's Australian Open after clinching one of the rarest and most treasured feats for any male player in the sport.
The Greek star stunned the tennis world on Wednesday night with a famous come-from-behind victory against Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals.
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Tsitsipas came back from two sets down against the World No.2 to win 3-6 2-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 7-5 and set up a semi-final showdown with Russia's Daniil Medvedev.
Victory saw the Greek superstar become just the second man after Novak Djokovic to have conquered both Roger Federer and Nadal at Melbourne Park.
The Greek fifth seed is one of the most popular male players on tour, known for his flamboyant style on court and long, luscious locks.
The 22-year-old's hair is often a talking point for fans but one quirky detail about his flowing locks has raised more than a few eyebrows.
Tsitsipas his often asked about how he maintains his hair but shocked many fans when revealing that he "never" uses shampoo on it, only conditioner.
“Never once did I have a client who doesn’t want shampoo,” veteran Greek hairdresser Giorgio Verligas told ATP Tour.
“It’s wrong. You must shampoo to clean the hair. The conditioner is only for softening.”
Never shampoo, only conditioner 💁🏼♂️
— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@steftsitsipas) January 10, 2021
What's more remarkable...
Beating Rafa from two sets down at a Grand Slam 💪💪💪
Mr Tsitsipas ONLY USING CONDITIONER ON HIS HAIR 🤔🤔🤔
♥️ for Rafa
RT for Conditioner#AusOpen #tsitsipasnadal pic.twitter.com/nFmopiF1rU— The Sports Weekly Podcast (@PodSportsWeekly) February 17, 2021
#AusOpen Nadal fans feeling the stress 😬 What a hair-raiser of a performance by Tsitsipas 🙃🎾🔥 pic.twitter.com/JoUmOOEaz7
— Ajay Arya (@AJ0209A) February 17, 2021
Tsitsipas’ hair could win a grand slam on its own, just saying. #AO2021 #tsitsipas #nadal pic.twitter.com/iCvCWw539W
— TennisHQ (@TennisHQ2) February 17, 2021
Greek star completes rare career double
Tsitsipas hit 49 winners and 17 aces in his second career win against Nadal, thwarting the Spaniard's attempts at clinching a record-breaking 21st grand slam title.
The Greek sensation's Herculean comeback victory over Nadal from two sets down on Wednesday night was a spectacular encore to his similarly stunning fourth-round win over Roger Federer two years ago.
That famous victory in 2019 snapped Federer's 17-match Open winning streak and now Tsitsipas has joined an exclusive two-man club where membership only comes with twin wins over tennis's two 20-times grand slam champions.
"The fact that I was able to come back the way I did and the way I fought against such a top, respected player like Rafa was something extra, something I have never felt before. It was everything I ever dreamed of," Tsitsipas said.
"Definitely I feel something extra, an extra connection with this court, with Rod Laver (Arena).
"I have had great moments, moments that just elevated me and moments that I will never forget.
"Rod Laver is one of my favourite arenas, courts. It's an amazing place to play tennis."
With Tsitsipas seeded fifth, just one below Medvedev, the semi-final shapes as an epic encounter featuring the two finest players yet to win a major.
A five-set loser to Nadal in the 2019 US Open final, Medvedev is desperate to continue his roll and break through on one of the sport's grandest stages.
"I don't have the exact word even to describe this," the 25-year-old said of his incredible run.
"I'm happy about my level in all the matches that I won, that I've played for sure.
"Some matches I could say I could do this better, this better. But the momentum, the confidence means a big part.
"You can see that once I lose it I start to make more unforced errors and that's where my game can be a little weaker.
"So I'm really happy that I managed to keep this momentum going so far, and it feels great.
"Hopefully I can continue it for at least two matches."
Tsitsipas trails Medvedev 5-1 head to head, but did beat the Russian in their most recent encounter - at the 2019 Tour Finals in London.
with AAP
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