“Not in a Million Years I Would Feel…” Stefanos Tsitsipas on Watching Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s Dramatic Fight

Young tennis players inside the top-10 singles rankings of the ATP tour are slowly gaining traction amongst fans across the world over the past couple of years. One youngster who has managed to bring fans together and root for him is Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The Greek star, who had an eventful first half this year, failed to replicate the same level in the second half of the season and had to retire from the year-end championships in Turin to undergo an elbow surgery.

As Tsitsipas got some time off due to rehab, he decided to attend the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Formula One’s final event of this year. The Greek was present in the Red Bull garage. Tsitsipas was the face of Red Bull’s Bassline, a tie-break tournament that took place in October this year.

Stefanos Tsitsipas talks about his experience at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021

In a Twitter space organized by his fans, Stefanos Tsitsipas recollected the nervousness he felt during the race and how he began to admire an athlete he never met (Max Verstappen).

“There was a lot of pressure. Speaking of pressure, there was a lot of pressure coming from me too which I would have never expected, not in a million years that I would feel as much pressure as every single team member of Red Bull that night,” explained the Greek to a fan.

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Tsitsipas says words of ‘respect’ for Max Verstappen

Tsitsipas continued, “I was shocked that I was feeling so much because, you know, I obviously don’t know Max (Verstappen) very well. I would have never imagined that I would be so thrilled and so much supportive of a stranger that I’ve never met before but of course as an athlete, I respect a lot.” 

Not just Tsitsipas, but millions of F1 fans around the world felt intense pressure during the final stages of the race as Max Verstappen denied Lewis Hamilton a world championship title.

Coming to Tsitsipas, he is all set to make a grand entry at the Australian tennis summer. Even though his schedule before the Australian Open is yet to be announced, the Greek star might opt to play a tournament or two to have enough match practice heading into Melbourne.

Also read: Dominic Thiem Announces Miserable News Ahead of His Return at Mubadala World Tennis Championships 2021