A Semi-final & A Souvlaki For Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas made his mark at the Australian Open in more ways than one. Sure, the #NextGenATP Greek became the first player from his country to reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam. But he also leaves with 360 ATP Ranking points, $920,000 and… a self-named Souvlaki!

Stalactites, a Greek restaurant in Melbourne, decided to create a new Souvlaki in the 20-year-old’s name. The new item is a lamb souva with hot chips, tomato, tzatziki sauce, pomegranate, crumbled feta cheese, fresh mint, basil and chili. The restaurant made the decision when Tsitsipas advanced to the last four, setting a match-up against second seed Rafael Nadal.

“We’re happy to do it now because he’s done so well. We’re so proud of him. He’s done an amazing job and getting to the semi-finals is such a big achievement,” owner Nicole Papasavas told the BBC.

This is just the second time Stalactites has named a souvlaki after a tennis player. Marcos Baghdatis, a Cypriot, also earned one during his run to the 2006 Australian Open final. Tsitsipas has long shown pride in representing Greece, writing a first-person essay for ATPTour.com about it last year.

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“Young Greek-Australians are going crazy. They’re so happy with everything that’s happening. It’s someone we can get behind. It gives us a really good connection back to our families,” Papasavas said. “Stefanos is just a great role model for young Greek-Australians and aspiring athletes, so it’s quite exciting at the moment.”

🇬🇷🌯 @StalactitesRest pic.twitter.com/nyvqECFCMp

— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@StefTsitsipas) January 25, 2019

from Tennis - ATP World Tour http://bit.ly/2BaUO5R