Stefanos Tsitsipas — tennis with roots in the USSR
Stefanos Tsitsipas is a Greek professional tennis player who reached World No. 1 and is one of the finest players of his generation. The son of a Greek tennis coach father and a Russian tennis player mother from Moscow, he reached the French Open final in 2021 and has been a fixture in the top 5 of the ATP rankings.
Tracing the roots — Moscow
His mother Julia Salnikova is a former professional tennis player from Moscow (USSR) — giving Stefanos direct Russian heritage through his mother's side. He speaks Russian fluently, has spoken warmly about his Russian heritage, and his athletic talent draws from both the Greek competitive spirit and the Russian tennis tradition his mother represents.
Moscow. At the time, this region was one of the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union.