Stefanos Tsitsipas shares how Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal convinced him to have his first drink at Laver Cup night

Stefanos Tsitsipas gave fans a story they had never heard before. Speaking on the What’s The Call? podcast with his former girlfriend Theodora Petalas and co-host Andrea, the Greek star opened up about a night with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal that changed something small but personal in his life. He said it was the first time he ever drank alcohol. And yes, it happened during a Laver Cup week. Stefanos Tsitsipas did not hold back. He explained how Federer gently pushed him to try a drink. “I got drunk for the first time with Rafa and Roger [at the Laver Cup]. That was the very first time I ever drank alcohol in my life. I had no idea what to order. I had never tried anything in my life. Roger is like, ‘Come on, you’ve got to have a drink,’ and I am like, ‘Ok, if Roger says I have got to have a drink, I have got to have a drink.’” Then he shared how he sees both legends off the court. “Rafa is a bit of an introvert; he is not going to talk like Roger does. Roger is a very confident guy. He will come to you, talk to you, ask you silly questions. He is a kid, Roger is a kid, in a good way. I like Roger being this way.” That night, he said, was full of laughter. He and Dominic Thiem were dancing and singing on tables. For Tsitsipas, it felt less like rivals and more like teammates.The night he described happened during the 2019 Laver Cup in Geneva. That year, Tsitsipas played doubles with Rafael Nadal in one match and with Roger Federer in another. He lost both matches in three sets, but Team Europe still lifted the trophy.Later, Tsitsipas told the Laver Cup website that the event brought him closer to his idols. “It brought me closer to my heroes. It brought me closer to their personalities and what they feel like in real life. I was able to admire them in a different way, on a different scale than I was before. And getting to meet them, getting to talk to them in a way that I do not usually do when I am on the regular tour. It brought a lot of emotions and a lot of great memories.”Right now, Tsitsipas is ranked World No. 32. His 2026 season has not started smoothly. He lost early in Adelaide. At the Australian Open and at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam, he won one match but could not go further. Even so, moments like the Laver Cup remind him why he loves the sport. For him, tennis is not only about winning. Sometimes, it is about shared memories with legends like Federer and Nadal.