'I cried that night': Stefanos Tsitsipas says this legend's retirement still ‘triggers’ him three years later

Stefanos Tsitsipas has played against some of the biggest names in tennis. He has climbed as high as world number 3, reached two Grand Slam finals, and shared locker rooms with legends of the sport.

Yet despite all the battles, triumphs, and challenges he’s faced on the court, there’s one moment that still lingers with him emotionally, and it is not about himself.

Now 26 and going through a turbulent spell in his career, having won just one of his last five matches and recently bringing his father back as coach, Tsitsipas is doing a lot of reflecting. When asked in a recent interview which tennis moment still "triggers" something deep inside him, he did not hesitate.

“That was an amazing week I mean, that was an emotional week.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas

The moment he is referring to happened three years ago, at the O2 Arena in London. It wasn’t a match he played in, but one he watched from the bench, as a member of Team Europe during the Laver Cup. That night, one of tennis’s most iconic figures played his final professional match.

"I cried that night, first of all... I never imagined that I would cry for someone else—but not me in the tennis world."

Tsitsipas admitted

The man who brought him to tears? Roger Federer. Federer’s retirement at the Laver Cup in 2022 was a global moment of mourning and celebration, a farewell to a player many consider the greatest of all time. But for Tsitsipas, it struck even deeper. Federer was not just a legend. He was a childhood idol. Someone he had dreamed of playing against, and eventually did, defeating him twice in four meetings on the ATP Tour.

He elaborated on that time by saying:

"So I was really reflective that night of how my dream started, how I looked up to Roger. then I was there when he was retiring. I knew. So it made me emotional. I felt for him and it still triggers me today."

Federer partnered with Rafael Nadal for his final match, a doubles clash filled with emotion, tears, and standing ovations. Tsitsipas, watching from the sidelines, could not hold it together.