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'Ubuntu': What does the African word Tsitsipas signed after storming into Australian Open 2023 final mean?

Stefanos Tsitsipas registered a 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 victory over Karen Khachanov to seal a berth in the Australian Open 2023 final.

tennis 'Ubuntu': What does the African word Tsitsipas signed after storming into Australian Open 2023 final mean snt
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First Published Jan 27, 2023, 1:51 PM IST

Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Russian 18th seed Karen Khachanov in a spirited semi-final match at the Australian Open 2023 on Friday, reaching the championship match on his fourth attempt. Under a scorching Rod Laver Arena sun, the Greek third seed prevailed 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 to advance to the final, where he will face either nine-time winner Novak Djokovic or American Tommy Paul.

At 24, Tsitsipas became the youngest man to reach the final since 23-year-old Djokovic in 2011. If either he or the great Serbian lift the trophy, they will become world number one.

Also read: Australian Open 2023 finalist Tsitsipas hopes 'childhood dream' to become World No.1 comes true

Following his victory, Tsitsipas signed the word 'Ubuntu' on the camera lens and wrote 'African word' in brackets, leaving fans to wonder what the word means. A Zulu word, Ubuntu means 'I am because we are' and stands for humanity, charity and community spirit. Fans believe that the Australian Open 2023 finalist's message is his way of thanking fans for supporting him.

"Great message from Tsitsipas at the end of the #AusOpen semifinal. #UBUNTU word of South African origin meaning: Humanity towards others; I am because we are; A person becomes human through other people; Everything that is mine is for everyone," wrote one fan explaining the meaning of the word.

In this on-court interview, Tsitsipas said, "I dreamed as a kid to maybe one day get to play in this court against the best players in the world. So I'm happy with the fight I put out there today. I feel blessed, blessed that I'm able to play tennis at this level. I've been wanting for many years now to put Greek tennis on the map. I'm extremely happy that I'm in the final now and let's see what happens."

Tsitsipas, who made his debut at the 2019 tournament as a 20-year-old when he ousted defending champion Roger Federer in the round of 16, has flourished in Melbourne throughout his career.

To demonstrate the consistency that has kept him a regular in the top 10 in the world rankings for almost four years, he went on to reach the semi-finals that year and again in 2021 and 2022, falling one match short on each occasion.

A Grand Slam title, however, continues to elude him. His best accomplishment to date is a runner-up finish at Roland Garros in 2021, where he lost to Djokovic in five sets despite holding a 2-0 lead.

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