Stefanos Tsitsipas believes he’ll need to have the mental and physical strength of an elite, battle-hardened special forces commando to break through to a maiden Grand Slam title. The Greek World No. 5 came agonisingly close to winning the French Open in 2021 when he surrendered a two-sets lead to lose in five to Novak Djokovic. 

It’s a memory which still haunts him, especially after losing to the Serbian superstar again in January in the final of the Australian Open. “There are a few guys that can play good under pressure, especially in big, tight moments, and you have to have the mental strength of a Navy SEAL [Sea, Air, and Land Teams] to pull it through,” said Tsitsipas, hailing the crack US special forces unit.