Stefanos Tsitsipas announced Monday morning that he learned of his grandmother's death just minutes before the start of his final at Roland Garros, lost in five sets to Novak Djokovic on Sunday.
The 22-year-old Greek tennis player dedicated his first Major final to his paternal grandmother, in a post on his Instagram account.
“Five minutes before I entered the court, my beloved grandmother lost her fight for life.
A wise woman, whose faith in life and willingness to give and give cannot be compared to anyone else that I have met, ”wrote Stefanos Tsitsipas.
“It's important that there are more people like her in this world.
Because people like her make you live.
They make you dream ”.
"Life is not about winning or losing"
Tsitsipas is considered the heir to the three tennis giants Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
But after hearing the bad news, he said there are more important things in life than winning trophies.
“Life is not about winning or losing.
It's about enjoying every moment of life, alone or with others, ”he said.
“Live a life full of meaning, without misery or abjection.
Lifting trophies and celebrating victories is something, but that's not all ”.te