Stefanos Tsitsipas confronts US Open opponent as mics pick up furious comment after defeat
A furious Stefanos Tsitsipas was seen having words with Daniel Altmaier after the pair's US Open clash.
On Thursday night, 26th seed Tsitsipas' poor run of form continued at Flushing Meadows as he was beaten by German player Altmaier.
Altmaier came away the winner after a five-set thriller that ended 7-6(5), 1-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.
Looking ahead, the world number 56 will take on Aussie star Alex de Minaur in the third round.
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For Tsitsipas, he has now failed to make it to the third round in every single Grand Slam of the 2025 season, having been knocked out in the first round at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, and he also lost in the second round at the French Open.
As the match between Tsitsipas and Altmaier ended, the Greek was caught having words with his opponent.
Seemingly upset with Altmaier's decision to play an underarm serve during the clash, Tsitsipas said: "Next time don't wonder why I hit you, ok?"
That comment referred to an incident in the match where the Greek had aimed a forehand at Altmaier’s body as the German rushed into the net, with Tsitsipas then holding up his hands in apology.
After failing to receive a response from Altmaier, Tsitsipas continued: "I'm just saying if you serve underarm... if you serve underarm."
The German stayed silent and then walked away while shaking his head. You can watch the footage below.
Stefanos Tsitsipas had some words with Dan Altmaier after losing to him at U.S. Open:
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 29, 2025
He’s complaining about Dan hitting an underarm serve during the 4th set.
Frosty. 🥶
pic.twitter.com/eEaPIpuApL
Daniel Altmaier breaks silence on Stefanos Tsitsipas incident
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Altmaier was asked about the incident at the net.
The 26-year-old explained: "Tomorrow Stefanos will regret his words. In football, fists fly or people get into arguments. In tennis, you say something that might not be appropriate. That's part of the sport. 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. Or maybe he does. I respected that."
Altmaier added: "These are the moments I play tennis for. It's hard to describe how I feel. There's a huge sense of relief.
"They were two tough matches that gave me a lot of experience. That's the most important thing."
Marcus Chan