Stefanos Tsitsipas – the latest tennis trailblazer

The centre court in Toronto echoed last week to the sound of Greek supporters thrilled by the stunning progress of Stefanos Tsitsipas, the latest breakthrough star of the sport.

French Open finalist Dominic Thiem, Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, defending champion Alexander Zverev and Wimbledon finalist Alexander Zverev were all beaten as the teenager powered through the field, eventually succumbing – on his 20^thbirthday – to world No.1 Rafael Nadal in the final.

Tsitsipas is the latest example of a talented trailblazer creating new tennis milestones for their nation, in the absence of historic heroes from their homeland.

REPORT: Nadal ends Tsitsipas run in Toronto final

Countless stops in dozens of nations feature in any full season of a top professional player. Over the course of a career, their air miles equate to millions. But the biggest journey for many players has nothing to do with travel. For while many players follow the path of well-known compatriots, others overcome some unimaginable obstacles to blaze their own impressive trail.

Among the 50-plus nations represented  at Wimbledon this year were the usual tennis powerhouses: host Grand Slam nations were typically well represented with 13 players from Great Britain, 14 Australians, 16 French players and 30 from America.

"I’ve had the week of my life.

I've never recieved such a warm welcome, so thank you for that."

Lots of love for the crowd of Toronto from @StefTsitsipas.#RogersCup pic.twitter.com/OhUofNkPxR

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 12, 2018

Others came in numbers from nations with tennis fortunes shaped by some of the game’s powerful figures: consider the Czech Republic, where 10 players in the ladies’ singles event included dual Wimbledon titlist Petra Kvitova, whose own journey was inspired by nine-time champion and fellow Czech native Martina Navratilova. Germany also stood out, its 15 representatives – eight men, seven women – arguably inspired early on by seven-time ladies’ champion Steffi Graf and triple men’s titlist Boris Becker.

In contrast, more than 20 nations at Wimbledon featured just one or two representatives – Georgia, Moldova, Paraguay and Puerto Rico among them. It would be isolating, perhaps even overwhelming, if not for the character and hard work it had taken many such players to get there.

Led by Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari, Greece is one of those previously unheralded nations gaining prominence. Tsitsipas is the first man in Greek tennis history to  even hold a top-100 ranking, peaking at world No.15 this week after his remarkable performances in Toronto.

The son of a Greek father and Russian mother, the determined Tsitsipas worked his way into the upper echelons as he qualified for eight tournaments last season. It points to the sturdy character that has shaped the teenager’s progress.

Sakkari, the world No.31, takes heart in the continued interest that she and Tsitsipas are  generating in her nation.

“We’re doing a very good job both of us. Stefanos is great, he is doing extremely well. I think the sky’s the limit for him. I think he has a lot of opportunities to become a top-10 player soon,” said Sakkari. “It’s great for our country. Actually tennis is growing because of us now.”

There’s a particular pride for Sakkari in overcoming more challenges than most to develop.

“We never had any tournaments. We only had a few Challengers a few years ago when I was still very young. I mean, I never got a wildcard in my life to  compete somewhere. I had to always play qualifying,” she related. “That made it quite tough but I’m very glad where I am now.”

Few players have shown such heart in their rise through the game as Damir Dzumhur, from Bosnia-Herzegovina.

“Every journey is long and every journey is tough but I made it to Grand Slams, I made it to big tournaments and I was always going step by step,” Dzumhur related of the progress since he first experienced tennis asa five-year-old in Sarajevo.

The 26-year-old developed his game at Zetra Olympic Hall, an indoor centre still damaged by the civil war that ravaged his city between 1992 and 1996. He relates that wood from the surface of the makeshift court was often taken by refugees hoping to warm themselves in sub-zero temperatures.

But with the support of his family – especially father, Nerfid, a tennis coach who remains a key part of Dzumhur’s team – the dedicated young player made the necessary improvements. “Every year my ranking was better,” he recalled at Wimbledon. “Every year my game was better. I just felt that I can make it to big tournaments and I can make it to big results.”

.@mariasakkari received funding to push her Olympic dreams, but she made the choice to split it with her ???????? compatriots.

It's already made a profound impact on Greek tennis ????https://t.co/hoBFnGycAD pic.twitter.com/YMJIjreZgq

— WTA (@WTA) May 6, 2018

Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur is another breaking new ground, not only the first Tunisian woman to progress to the third round at a Grand Slam, but the first from any of 21 Arabic nations. “It feels like history, of course,” said the 23-year-old, ranked No.111.

“For me, it’s not over. It’s the beginning of my dream. I’m very proud to represent the Arab world, or Tunisia. For me it’s a very good example for the kids and the teenagers who wants to become one day and play with  the best players.”

A common thread for many emerging players is the support they have received through the Grand Slam Development Fund, which was established in 1986 to encourage and increase competitive opportunities in developing tennis regions. The fund has contributed more than $50 million since its inception, with more than $3 million available for distribution in 2018.

Some of the highest achievers in today’s tour have benefited, including Grand Slam champions in 2009 US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro and recently crowned Roland Garros champion Simona Halep, from Argentina and Romania respectively.

They create a  powerful ripple effect for other players. Halep, who had already achieved history as her nation’s first-ever world No.1 on the WTATour, is galvanising an increasingly influential group of Romanian women, with many delighting in her French Open breakthrough.

World No.148 Alexandra Dulgheru, who hopes to join six Romanians in the top 100, explained the impact of her countrywoman’s victory.

“Sometimes people say Romania, maybe we’re a small country, but we broke that mentality a little bit to show that okay it doesn’t matter if you’re from Romania or Bulgaria or Serbia, you can still do it,” she said.

Such is the camaraderie that Sakkari feels with her compatriots, she shared the $30,000 she received from the ITF with Tsitsipas and fellow Greek Valentini Grammatikopoulou, saying: “We’re all working hard and we all deserve the same amount of money.”

And while Sakkari has already earned more than a million dollars in prize money, there are other unexpected elements of  her rise that are infinitely more rewarding.

“I look at the kids back home and I see how they look at me. And it’s a very nice feeling to feel like they are looking out for you,” she said.

“Actually, if you would tell me a few years ago that you would belike a role model for Greek tennis I would never believe you.”

Read the full article in Australian Tennis Magazine.