Written by Staff Writer
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Last month Stefanos Tsitsipas became the youngest player to make the semi-finals of a Masters Series event, when he beat top seed Rafael Nadal at the Madrid Masters.
In an interview with Bloomberg last week, the 19-year-old Greek tennis player revealed that he refuses to take a flu shot unless it becomes mandatory on tour.
“I took a couple of flu shots in school. You don’t get sick anymore. But it might be nice to take a few more. I might do it now,” Tsitsipas said.
“I think some players might struggle a little bit if they don’t take them. There’s a lot of things you can do to be healthy and have a clean mind.”
Tsitsipas has been a regular visitor to the Argentinian-based La Posada de Falla clinic in Buenos Aires since 2011, where private health checkups and massages are only offered to tennis players under the supervision of the clinic’s head of international organizing department Alejandro Ardila.
Tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas refuses to take the flu shot
According to the clinic’s website, one specific clinic “provides in-depth private health checks and intensive massages to specialists from around the world…They also perform various other health and hygiene tests on patients.”
The clinic provides medication specifically designed for the treatment of tennis players, “including long-lasting nasal spray anti-fungal sprays and anti-allergy shots, nerve blocker and caffeine patch treatments, as well as prescribed Viagra for those lacking erectile dysfunction.”
Tsitsipas said he has not yet decided whether he will continue to take the in-room treatments in Buenos Aires this season — perhaps his first full season on the ATP World Tour.
“When I get flu shots, I also get the ultrasounds. They’re doing a lot of tests, a lot of extensive medical examinations, and I wouldn’t take something that could be harmful. So I might have to make a decision.”