Tsitsipas plays 'shot of year' thanks to little known rule at Australian Open

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS stunned his opponent with an early contender for shot of the year.

The Greek tennis star, 25, came from behind to beat Zizou Bergs 5-7 6-1 6-1 6-3 in the first round of the 2024 Australian Open.

But it was his magic moment to seal a break early in the second set that grabbed the attention.

A long rally on the Bergs serve saw the pair battle it out from the baseline.

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But the Belgian came in after a short sliced backhand and looked on course to win the point at the net.

However, a powerful single-handed backhand from Tsitispas had his opponent scrambling.

Bergs, 24, managed to get a racket to the ball and just did enough to get it over the net on the stretch.

But the ball had so much backspin that it bounced on Tsitsipas' side of the net and then fizzed back towards Bergs' half of the court.

Tsitsipas, though, sprinted to chase the ball down and reached it as it had already looped back on to Bergs' side - but crucially before the second bounce.

And that meant he could legitimately lean over and hit the ball down into the court, giving no chance of Bergs making a return.

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The No7 seed somehow contorted himself and he managed to avoid making contact with the net with his racket or body - which would have seen him lose the point.

So Tsitsipas, 25, secured the point and claimed the break in style - leaving lucky-loser Bergs visibly stunned.

The world No129 stood in shock with his hand covering his mouth as the crowd inside the Rod Laver Arena celebrated the Greek's heroics.

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Tsitsipas, who lost to Novak Djokovic in last year's final Down Under, said: “That shot was extraordinary.

"I don’t know how I even made that shot… I guess not wanting to give up and just giving it a try gave me that point.

"I think it turned around the match.”

And tennis fans watching at home were equally stunned.

One said: "Brb watching this Tsitsipas replay on loop."

Another wrote: "Still can't believe Tsitsipas didn't touch the net when hitting this shot. Amazing."

A third added: "Absolutely outrageous control at net from Stefanos Tsitsipas. Shot of the year so far!"

And a final user replied: "Stefanos Tsitsipas delivers one of the best points you’ll see all year. It’s one of those shots you only get to see live once or twice in a lifetime — and if you’re lucky. And Bergs’ reaction was priceless."