Stefanos Tsitsipas plays tennis with local kids during trip to Crete, says his hand is in "fantastic" shape after surgery

In a recent interview with Greek television network ANT1, Stefanos Tsitsipas spoke about a number of topics, including his recovery from elbow surgery and his recent trip to Crete, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.

The 23-year-old underwent surgery last month after suffering with an elbow problem for a few weeks. The Greek was forced to withdraw from his opening match at the Paris Masters and then pulled out of the ATP Finals after losing his first match to Andrey Rublev.

In the conversation with ANT1, Tsitsipas revealed that his hand is in "fantastic" condition after the surgery.

"The hand is fantastic, perfect. I am sure I will be back to my 100%," he said.

After the end of the 2021 season, Tsitsipas decided to travel to the Greek island of Crete for a vacation. The 23-year-old said he was "surprised" and touched by how welcoming the people were.

"It is a fantastic island. I was surprised by the hospitality, the people, the landscapes I visited. All the warmth of the people was impressive, it moved me," he said.

Tsitsipas' trip wasn't all about leisure though, as he also went out of his way to help the people impacted by an earthquake that struck Arkalochori, a town in Crete, a few months ago.

Tsitsipas revealed that he spent some time playing tennis with the local kids, which made him feel "young" again.

"I did not make this trip just to rest, I wanted to offer to the people. I heard that the children wanted help and a new tennis court will be inaugurated soon there," Tsitsipas said. "The least I could do was go and meet people, the kids playing tennis. I played with them, I enjoyed it, it made me feel very young again."

A recap of Stefanos Tsitsipas' 2021 season

Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2021 Erste Bank Open.

Stefanos Tsitsipas enjoyed a stellar first half of the season during which he won his maiden Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo and reached his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros. However, his form tailed off after the claycourt season.

He crashed out of Wimbledon in the first round and lost in the third round of the Tokyo Olympics. Tsitsipas managed to reach the semifinals of ATP 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati, but failed to carry that momentum into the US Open, where he lost in the third round.

His elbow injury worsened towards the end of the season, which prevented him from making an impact at the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals.

Tsitsipas will be looking to bounce back strongly next year. The Greek is set to start his season at the ATP Cup before shifting his focus to the Australian Open.