Stefanos Tsitsipas’s debut at this year’s Wimbledon will be historic, as Greece’s top tennis player will make his ninth appearance in the main draw of the British Grand Slam on Monday (June 29) his ninth appearance in the main draw of the British Grand Slam, a feat that sets a new Greek record.

Tsitsipas surpasses the great Nikos Kalogeropoulos, who competed eight times in the Wimbledon main draw between 1964 and 1972, not counting their appearances in junior tournaments.

The match against France’s Hugo Gaston, ranked No. 117 in the world, will take place on Court 16 and is scheduled as the second match of the day, following Andrei Rublev’s match against Roman Shafyulin. The Greek champion’s first serve is expected between 3:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

This historic record is not the only thing Tsitsipas and Kalogeropoulos have in common. The two top Greek tennis players at Wimbledon have both reached the fourth round of the tournament, with Kalogeropoulos achieving this on his main-draw debut in 1964 and Tsitsipas reaching the round of 16 twice, in 2018 and 2023.

At the same time, both have celebrated Wimbledon titles at the junior level. Nikos Kalogeropoulos won the trophy in 1962, while Tsitsipas was crowned doubles champion in 2016, partnering with Estonian Kenneth Raisma. In the final, they defeated Denis Shapovalov and Félix Auger-Aliassime.

The 26-year-old Greek will aim to combine this historic milestone with a spot in the second round, where, if the favorite status holds, he will face Novak Djokovic in one of the most intriguing matches of the tournament.

*photo source: AP