Stefanos Tsitsipas: Wimbledon Star Who Was "Just A Few Breaths Away From Dying"

There are not many athletes whose careers and outlooks have been forged by near-death experiences, but Stefanos Tsitsipas is an exception.

If Stefanos Tsitsipas becomes Greece's first Grand Slam champion at Wimbledon, his first thoughts will be for his father Apostolos whose split-second bravery once saved his son from drowning. There are not many athletes whose careers and outlooks have been forged by near-death experiences, but the 22-year-old world number four is an exception. In 2015, while taking part in a third-tier Futures event in Crete, a teenage Tsitsipas and a friend went swimming but almost fatally misjudged the strength of the currents. The two boys were just moments from being swept away until quick-thinking Apostolos dived in to guide them back to safety. "We couldn't breathe, I felt awful to be inside the water and was terrified. I didn't know how all this was going to end," Tsitsipas recalled. "My father saw us from afar and he jumped in, started swimming towards us and pushed us towards the beach. I was just a few breaths away from dying."