Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas did not conclude his time at the U.S. Open quietly.
Over the course of Tsitsipas’s first-round matchup at the tournament with 21-year-old Russian up-and-comer Andrey Rublev, he took issue with chair umpire Damien Dumusois. First, Dumusois hit the no. 8 see with a code violation for coaching — the same charge levied against Serena Williams in last year’s women’s final — possibly because the umpire felt the eight-seeded player’s camp was too noisy.
Then, during a changeover with Tsitsipas trailing, Dumusois warned him he was taking too long and that another penalty was about to be assessed.
“I don’t care,” Tsitsipas fumed. “Do whatever you want because you’re the worst. For some reason you have something against me, I don’t know what you have … because you’re French, probably. And you’re all weirdos.”
Dumusois then gave Tsitsipas a time violation and he lost a point.
"You have something against me. You're French, probably. … You're all weirdos."
Things didn't go to plan for No. 8 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round of the #USOpen
MORE: https://t.co/QQHPExZwHz pic.twitter.com/4VzjFEJkz0
— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) August 27, 2019
Tsitsipas ended up losing to unseeded Rublev 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (7), 7-5.
“I feel like I’m doing the same thing over and over again, and my brain can’t really take it anymore,” Tsitsipas said afterward. “I feel like I’m doing the same routines on the court, the same execution, the same — I mean, same strategies and everything. I don’t feel inspired. I play out on the court, and I don’t feel like I’m chasing something.”
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