Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas erupted at his opponent Daniel Altmaier during a heated second-round clash at the US Open on Thursday, after the German pulled out an underarm serve late in the deciding set.
The five-set marathon saw the 27-year-old Tsitsipas bow out after holding match point, with Altmaier staging a stunning comeback to win 7–6 (5), 1–6, 4–6, 6–3, 7–5.
As the players met at the net, Tsitsipas appeared visibly upset and told Altmaier:
“Next time, don’t wonder why I hit you, okay? No, I’m just saying if you serve underarm … if you serve underarm.”
The tense words drew boos from the New York crowd, while Altmaier chose not to respond and walked off quietly.
Speaking afterwards to reporters, the 26-year-old German, ranked world No. 56, downplayed the incident: “Tomorrow Stefanos will regret his words. A lot of money and self-confidence are at stake. When you’re playing tennis until midnight, you can sometimes say something you don’t really mean.”
The match was further complicated when Tsitsipas’ father and coach, Apostolos Tsitsipas, was issued a code violation for coaching from the stands. It was the first warning given under the ITF’s new Rule 30, which allows only brief, discreet coaching during breaks in play.
Altmaier’s victory takes him into the third round, where he will face Australia’s Alex de Minaur on Saturday.