TennisNH

Tsitsipas Provides Message Of Support To Greece During Bushfire Crisis

11-Aug-2021 19:17:00 | ATP World Tour

Greek national hero Stefanos Tsitsipas sent his heartfelt support to his home country, which is currently facing devastation due to bushfires, following his second-round victory in Toronto on Tuesday. The World No. 3 defeated Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-7(11), 6-1, winning the match on his sixth match point.

Tsitsipas pledged to help those affected by the fires in his post-match press conference.

“My heart is with all the people of Greece,” Tsitsipas said. “I come from the south suburbs of Athens. When I was there a few days ago, I could see the fires from the south. Huge, giant clouds, smoke, which you could see from far, far away. It wasn't very nice.

“Even at the beach that day when I went to swim, you could see all the debris from the smoke and from the fires in the sea.”

The bushfires have had a devastating impact on the country, with thousands of homes and acres of land ravaged. In some areas of Greece residents have been forced to evacuate their homes as fires continue to rage throughout the country.

“I'm trying to help as much as possible, because first of all, it's my country,” Tstitsipas said. “I grew up there. It's where my heart is. I do it for the people, as well. Helping is the least I can do. It's very unfortunate. It has happened in the past, but we are trying to put some help in there to help kind of bring back what was there before.”

Tsitsipas will take on American Frances Tiafoe in his upcoming third-round match. The two players have met twice in 2021, with Tiafoe winning their first-round encounter at Wimbledon and Tsitsipas taking the victory in the first round of the Tokyo Olympics.