Nick Kyrgios has branded Stefanos Tsitsipas soft after the vanquished Greek accused the Australian of being a bully and possessing an “evil side” in a bitter postscript to the pair’s explosive third-round Wimbledon clash.
Kyrgios demanded Tsitsipas be defaulted after recklessly hitting a ball into the stands and almost striking a female spectator during his 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 6-3 7-6 (9-7) loss on Saturday.
Kyrgios also engaged in a running battle with the chair umpire, with both players receiving code violations for unsportsmanlike conduct during the spiteful encounter.
“It’s constant bullying, that’s what he does. He bullies the opponents. He was probably a bully at school himself. I don’t like bullies. I don’t like people that put other people down,” Tsitsipas said, sparking an ugly war of words.
“He has some good traits in his character as well. But he also has a very evil side to him, which, if it’s exposed, it can really do a lot of harm and bad to the people around him.”
Kyrgios laughed off the claims before sarcastically saying he’d be upset, too, if he’d lost to the same opponent four times in as many matches, as Tsitsipas has in their one-sided rivalry.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m not sure how I bullied him. He was the one hitting balls at me, he was the one that hit a spectator, he was the one that smacked it out of the stadium,” Kyrgios said after booking a fourth-round date with unseeded American Brandon Nakashima on Monday.
“I didn’t do anything. Apart from me just going back and forth to the umpire for a bit, I did nothing towards Stefanos today that was disrespectful, I don’t think. I was not drilling him with balls.”
Tsitsipas copped a point penalty at one stage for smashing a return off a Kyrgios under-arm serve into a scoreboard but the Greek conceded he was actually “aiming for the body of my opponent but I missed by a lot”.
The ousted fourth seed said he wished the players could come together to find a solution to Kyrgios’s on-court antics.
“This needs to stop. It’s not okay. Someone needs to sit down with him,” Tsitsipas said.
“I’m not used to play this way. But I cannot just sit there, act like a robot and act like someone that is completely cold and ignorant.
“It has happened three, four times now. Okay, one time I understand, but if it starts happening two, three, four times, it really gets to your nerves.
“Because you’re out there doing your job, and you have noise coming from the other side of the court for no absolute reason.
“Every single point that I played today I feel like there was something going on on the other side of the net.
“I’m not trying to be distracted by that because I know it might be intentional because for sure he can play other way and that’s his way of manipulating the opponent and making you feel distracted, in a way.
“There is no other player that does this. There is no other player that is so upset and frustrated all the time with something.
“I really hope all us players can come up with something and make this a cleaner version of our sport, have this kind of behaviour not accepted, not allowed, not tolerated.”
Kyrgios, though, doubted the locker-room would turn on him and said Tsitsipas would never be man enough to confront him directly.
“He’s that soft. To come in here and say I bullied him, that’s just soft,” Kyrgios said.
“If he’s affected by that today, then that’s what’s holding him back. Because someone can just do that and that’s going to throw him off his game like that. I just think it’s soft.
“I’m good in the locker room. I’ve got many friends, just to let you know. I’m actually one of the most liked. I’m set.
“He’s not liked. Let’s just put that there.”
The comments came after a fiery match, in which Kyrgios demanded Tsitsipas be defaulted for recklessly hitting a ball into the stands, narrowly missing a female spectator, before removing the world No.5 himself with a fractious 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 6-3 7-6 (9-7) victory on Saturday.
The Australian hot-head threatened a sit-down protest after Tsitsipas only received a code violation for back-handing a ball in frustration into the stands after losing the second set on Court One.
“You can’t hit a ball into a crowd and hit someone and not be defaulted,” Kyrgios bellowed at chair umpire Damien Dumusois over and over, while pointing out to the Frenchman that Novak Djokovic was booted out of the 2020 US Open for striking a lineswoman with a ball.
“I would like to speak a supervisor. I’m not playing until I speak to a supervisor,” demanded Kyrgios .
“Bring out more supervisors. I’m not done. Bring them all out.”
Grand slam supervisor Andreas Egli was having none of it.
It wasn’t long, though, before Wimbledon referee Gerry Armstrong and his assistant Denise Parnell were sighted anxiously watching on from behind the court.
Nick Kyrgios shakes hands with Stefanos Tsitsipas after their third round match at Wimbledon. (Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Netflix is producing a documentary featuring Kyrgios and Tsitsipas and the streaming service would have been salivating at the content that two of tennis’s most polarising figures dished up.
Kyrgios’s blow-up after Tsitsipas’s indiscretion was merely part of the theatre.
Kyrgios also called the chair umpire a disgrace and received a code violation after being reported by a linesman for swearing.
Tsitsipas, who had Australia’s former finalist Mark Philippoussis in his courtside box, complained to Dumusois that “this isn’t tennis” and copped a point penalty for smacking a return off a Kyrgios under-arm serve deliberately into the scoreboard.
Kyrgios also left his fans’ heart-in-mouth after falling awkwardly in the opening game of the fourth set and staying down for seemingly an age, clutching his right hip.
But he eventually rose to have the last laugh, recovering from a set down to defeat Tsitsipas for the fourth time in as many tour outings and advance to the last 16.
“I felt like the favourite coming in. I played in a couple of weeks ago but I knew it was going to be a tough match,” Kyrgios said.
“He’s a hell of a player and it was a hell of a match. I’m just super happy to be through.”
Kyrgios didn’t drop serve all night, saving all five break points he faced, and crunched 14 aces in another imperious serving display that will place his rivals on notice.
“I feel great,” he said when asked if he felt ready to win the tournament.
“I feel great physically now. I’m ready to go again if I need to play again tomorrow.”
A quarter-finalist on debut as a teenager in 2014, the 27-year-old will play unseeded American Brandon Nakashima on Monday for another place in the last eight.
If he wins that, Kyrgios could meet Alex de Minaur in an all-Australian quarter-final – potentially for the right to take on Rafael Nadal in the semis.
Riccardo
Roar Rookie
If you read Mac's book he reasons as a perfectionist that has trained for years to reach the pinnacle he didn't deserve, and could not tolerate, poor decision making and indifference...
Lance Boil
Roar Rookie
I am conflicted with Kyrios, his tennis skills are outstanding. His braggadocio stick is juvenile to me. What are they doing about freeing the hostages in his box?
Pete
Guest
Gee there are some mentally weak players in tennis and Tsistipas is right up the top of the list. His behaviour throughout that match was much worse than Kyrgios. To then come out and take the high road is just embarassing. He won't be winning a major anytime soon with that mentality.
jameswm
Roar Guru
You missed the subtle humour in my post. You mean he’s a hypocrite. Hypercrit means something entirely different.
Brian
Guest
He shouts at umpires blames the media, the crowd yet as soon as its done to him he claims its unfair. He asks for a rowdy crowd in Melbourne and then cries foul when he's booed overseas. He's the walking definition of a hypercrit.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Was Tsitspas also involved with a number of dodgy medical time out when deep in the hole and came back to win?
jameswm
Roar Guru
Which is a fair thing to say
jameswm
Roar Guru
Yep. You’ve got to call it both ways. Be honest and even-handed about why you want Kyrgios to lose.
Laurie
Roar Rookie
Ok that's a fair call jameswm. No I wouldn't encourage my kids to deliberately aim a smash at their opponent . Or into the crowd. Yes you're right about those incidents . I guess I could have just said .. in my personal opinion, I don't think Nick Kyrgios is a good role model for teenager tennis players
HR
Roar Rookie
The Australian who was saying "I don't think I'm a goody-two-shoes, but Kyrgios should be defaulted out of the tournament"? Or the Englishman who was complaining about how it wasn't tennis? "Wowser" describes both quite well.
HR
Roar Rookie
Himself and his box during matches, for the most part.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
So you were supporting the guy who was hitting the ball at spectators and actively trying to smash the ball into his opponent? Then tried to play the victim card by claiming that he was being bullied? By any reasonable measure Tsistipas behaved a lot worse than Kyrgios. It’s fine to barrack against a player because they just rub you the wrong way for some reason and you don’t like the cut of their jib or whatever. But if they are playing against someone carrying on like Tsitsipas did, it’s time to stop pretending that it’s because their on court behaviour doesn’t meet traditional standards of decorum.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
I saw the whole match & was hoping Kyrgios would lose!
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
You are making the mistake of assuming that the Kyrgios critics actually watch the games.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
McEnroe was just a hothead, Kygrios is a bit loony and has a victim mentality. I wouldn't say their actions are planned. The Australian cricket team on the other hand if someone did their sledging on a tennis court, they wouldn't last a set.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
No player deserves Kyrgios doing them over this way more than Tsipitas, Tsipitas funny he talks about Kyrgios what about his forever toilet break against Murray. He knew Murray and his bad hip would be stuffed with a break just by coincidence takes a world record toilet break against him. Kyrgios has never done anything as dirty and calculating as that against another player. Kyrgios should figure out that his trash talking which seems to be his main source of motivation these days, is going to be a lot more effective if he wins more.
jameswm
Roar Guru
Who is Nick overly critical of?
jameswm
Roar Guru
So Tsitsipas was ok? He smashed the ball at Kygios constantly - would you want your son trying to do that to an opponent? Or smashing the ball at the crowd - you'd be proud of that? What about complaining the ref after Kyrgios did something completely ok (underarm serve)? You'd like to see your son behave like that? Call it both ways Laurie.
jameswm
Roar Guru
You guys don't listen to him. Yes he has the talent of a Djokovic, but he is not prepared to completely devote his whole life to tennis - he follows other interests. It's his call, not yours or mine. And he knows this, owns it and can live with the fact that he could have been better if he worked as hard as a Federer/Nadal/Djokovic.
jameswm
Roar Guru
Lol - classic sour grapes from Tsitsipas. Own it dude - Kyrgios was better, show some class. Don't act more petulantly than Kygios then try to take the moral high ground.