Whippersnapper Knocks Federer outta the Aussie Open

Even if you don't admit it, you know you're past it when the dudette you've started to hustle calls you sir.

Translate that to a Slam match, and it might sound like this:

I beat my idol!

That's how 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas began his joyous celebration after showing Roger Federer the door in a 6-7 (11-13), 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) ambush of the Swiss legend in the Australian Open Round of 16.

 

With three of the match's four sets going to tiebreakers, the 14th-seeded Greek was clearly nothing if not tenacious against the defending champion, one of his six as part of his 20 Slam titles.

It put a hella lotta distance between him and a few of his past misadventures ...

 

After making Federer earn the first set via an extended tiebreaker, Tsitsipas saved all 12 of the 37-year-old's break points to carry the day.

Four of those were set points.

 

Dude's got a bitta swagger, sorta like Boris Becker did when he was a teenagaer.

In fact, Tsitsipas does the spearing dive as well as Becker did at Wimbledon back in the day:

 

Energy like that helped the German claim his first Wimbledon title in 1985.

Word's spreading that Tsitsipas could well be on his way to a higher glory, too.

 

For now, Tsitsipas will spend time savoring his formal arrival on the Slam stage ...

 

Federer certainly wishes him the best, but that doesn't mean he's ready to pass the proverbial torch yet. After the defeat and voicing frustration, he quickly announced he'll start preparing for the upcoming clay season.

So while Tsitsipas may be touted as the future dominator, there appears to still be life in the old Swiss bones.

For Federer's sake, that'd better not morph into still life in those old Swiss bones.