To most tennis players, an interview with a reporter asking them about their medication is an expected part of the game. But for many newly-eligible professional tennis players, it’s a subject to avoid.
Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 17-year-old who is in third round action at the French Open, has been very open about his Christian faith.
But a reporter’s question about how the youngster copes with medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, in his pre-existing medical condition, got a “no comment” instead of the usual response of, “I hope, I mean, there isn’t.”
Greek government officials, who jumped into the fray after numerous social media posts criticizing Tsitsipas, said his comments were disappointing and questioned what his faith meant to him.
“Does the willingness of our president to acquire international fame for Greece and to diversify the economic and cultural heritage of the country in the 21st century depend on another country’s right of free exercise of religion?” Sports Minister Martin Ighini asked in a statement.
Tsitsipas now owns over one million followers on Instagram and has made headlines since his victory in the boys’ section at Wimbledon last summer.
In 2016, he was the youngest player to win a match at the Australian Open. He reached the quarterfinals in Indian Wells last year.
Earlier this week, Tsitsipas pushed his tennis career to a new level, beating 15th-ranked Alexander Zverev of Germany to reach the French Open third round.
Two days after the French Open begins next week, Canadian fifth seed Milos Raonic will take on Tsitsipas in a third round match.