‘A Future No. 1’: Tennis World Reacts to Tsitsipas’ Federer Shock

The reigning champion exited the Aus Open after being stunned 6-7 (11), 7-6 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (5) by the Greek prodigy.

Week 1 of the year’s first Grand Slam saved its biggest shocker till the very end.

Roger Federer’s bid for a third successive title at the Australian Open was brought to an early end in the late action on Sunday, 20 January, as the 20-time major winner fell to unheralded 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Tsitsipas has been touted by tennis pundits as one for the future, but on Sunday night at the iconic Rod Laver Arena, the Greek prodigy produced the match of his life to oust the Swiss maestro with a 6-7 (11), 7-6 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (5) win to enter his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final.

"My idol today became, pretty much, my rival."

A must watch: @StefTsitsipas and @rogerfederer reflect on their unforgettable fourth round encounter.#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/WcWCJE1etC

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2019

Social media, as expected, was abuzz post the monumental upset, with Twitterati hailing Tsitsipas as the future of the men’s game. The best of the reactions:

2001: Roger Federer, ranked 15th with one title to his name, beats Pete Sampras in the fourth round of #Wimbledon

2019: @StefTsitsipas, ranked 15th with one title to his name, beats Roger Federer in the fourth round of the #AusOpenhttps://t.co/WUHowPWuSe

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) January 20, 2019

This kid is a future number 1. Got the entire package mental and physical plus can volley which is a major bonus!!! #Tsitsipas #AO2019

— Mahesh Bhupathi (@Maheshbhupathi) January 20, 2019

Amazing! #Tsitsipas defeats the great #Federer in a huge upset. Brilliant performance from @StefTsitsipas. Smart tennis, confident attitude, and a great fighting spirit. #AusOpen

— Pat Cash (@TheRealPatCash) January 20, 2019

Holy Moley this is good tennis!!!!

— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) January 20, 2019

Holy Toledo what a phenomenal effort from E-Z Pas to tough out RF2.0 the match so reminded me of rd of 16 match in 2001 when RF beat Sampras, amazing 😉 that young fella came forward 68 times so many times on huge points😎👍💪🎾🔥

— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) January 20, 2019

Congratulations @StefTsitsipas top quality tennis by you tonight. Good luck. @AustralianOpen #AustralianOpen #FederervsTsitsipas

— Rohan Bopanna (@rohanbopanna) January 20, 2019

This lad is special! It’ll take some memorising, but you’d do well to remember his name. STEFANOS TSITSIPAS! He’s the future 👏👏🎾

— Gaurav Kapur (@gauravkapur) January 20, 2019

Stefanos Tsitsipas, 13 years old:

“Favorite idol?”

– Roger Federer

“Where do you see yourself in ten years?”

– I don’t know, but I will do my best to be in the top. pic.twitter.com/Ho4xmuBHYl

— Alex Theodoridis (@AlexTheodorid1s) January 20, 2019