His biggest win to date came while he was still 21. His only previous major final was in 2021 when he came agonisingly close to the French Open crown, racing into a two-set lead in the final over Djokovic before the Serb mounted an epic comeback to claim victory. Victory would also make him world number one for the first time. He hopes that will change when he faces Djokovic in Sunday's Australian Open final. Tsitsipas was the first Greek man to win a tour title and has claimed nine in total, but a Grand Slam crown has remained elusive. I remember after that how much psychologically it changed me.' 'That was the day I saw life with a different perspective. 'If we were supposed to die and lose our lives that day, we would have to do it together. I was just a few breaths away from dying. 'My father saw us from afar and he jumped in, started swimming towards us and pushed us towards the beach. I didn't know how all this was going to end,' Tsitsipas once recalled. 'We couldn't breathe, I felt awful to be inside the water and was terrified. The two boys were just moments from being swept away until Tsitsipas's father Apostolos, who is also his coach, dived in to haul them to safety. In 2015, while taking part in a third-tier event in Crete, a teenage Tsitsipas and a friend went swimming and almost fatally misjudged the strength of the currents. There are not many athletes whose careers and outlooks have been forged by near-death experiences, but the 24-year-old world number four is an exception. Stefanos Tsitsipas will become Greece's first Grand Slam champion and a world number one if he wins the Australian Open final on Sunday - he will have his father to thank if he does.

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