Tsitsipas Explores Western Australia Ahead Of United Cup Debut

Stefanos Tsitsipas is determined to “create some beautiful memories” at the inaugural United Cup.

The No.4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings is already achieving that goal, even before taking to the court for his first match.

Tsitsipas visited Perth’s picturesque Rottnest Island yesterday, where he played beach tennis and enjoyed local delicacies for lunch alongside team-mates Despina Papamichail and Valentini Grammatikopoulou.

^{_{Valentini Grammatikopoulou, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Despina Papamichail pose on the beach on Rottnest Island. Photo Credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images.}}

The Team Greece members also captured selfies with quokkas, small animals that are unique to the island.

“I’ve loved coming back (to Rottnest Island),” said Tsitsipas, who had previously visited the popular Western Australia tourist destination in 2019.

“I had the opportunity four years ago and it has always occupied my mind. I’ve been thinking about how cool that experience was, getting to see the quokkas and take some photos with them.

“It’s good to connect tennis with nature and zone out a little bit before the competition starts. It’s been nice getting the opportunity to explore wildlife and see the beautiful sights of Western Australia that you don’t get to see when you’re competing on the tennis court.”

_{^{Team Greece walk along the beach at Parakeet Bay on Rottnest Island.}}

The United Cup, a mixed-team event consisting of 18 nations, begins tomorrow with round-robin matches in Perth, Brisbane and Sydney.

Each United Cup tie comprises two men’s and two women’s singles matches, as well as one mixed doubles match, played across two days.

Four countries will advance to the knockout stage in Sydney, which runs from 6-8 January.

What To Watch On Day 1 At The United Cup

Team Greece, which also includes WTA World No.6 Maria Sakkari, are the tournament’s top seeds.

“It’s an exciting event,” Tsitsipas said. “For us, as Team Greece, I think is the best opportunity to show our best tennis. We have a great women’s team and at the same time, a great men’s team.”

Although Tsitsipas is confident that Team Greece can challenge for the United Cup title, he reiterated their immediate focus was on round-robin clashes with Bulgaria and Belgium in coming days.

“Over confidence can be an issue, in which case, we are extremely careful to stay humble,” he said.

“We have to be disciplined enough to show up and bring our best tennis every day. This is more of a marathon that we are heading towards and not a sprint. (But) we’re here for the long run.”