Stefanos Tsitsipas slams ‘unplayable’ conditions during latest defeat
Stefanos Tsitsipas’ time in the Mallorca Championships ended at the round of 32 stage as he was defeated in straight sets by Ignacio Buse.
The Greek’s star’s middling season continued as he was dumped out of the ATP 250 event by a scoreline of 7-6, 6-3, but the match wasn’t without controversy.
Tsitsipas was furious with the standard of the tennis balls at the Spanish event and even stopped a point to issue a formal complaint to the umpire.
The match, which was broadcast on Sky Sports, was derailed when Tsitsipas halted play to unleash a furious rant at the officials.
After complaining about the balls, Tsitsipas was shocked to learn that he had lost the point, despite the umpire agreeing about the quality of the balls.
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“What do you mean the point stands? The ball is unplayable!,” said the former World No 3 early during the first set of the match.
“It’s impossible to play with this ball,” he continued. “At least if we play the point, let’s [re]play the point! This is like soft ball. There is no chance this is playable.
“Zero chance. Look at this,” he said, thrusting the ball into the umpires face. “Bring me the [tournament director], I’ll show him the ball. There is no chance. So you’re basically giving him the point?
Told by the umpire that he had to lose the point because he was the person who stopped, he replied: “So you’re basically giving him the point? If wouldn’t have stopped, we’d still be rallying the balls now!”
The opening round match for Tsitsipas was his first of the grass court season and ensures that he does not have a win on the surface ahead of Wimbledon.
The star will enter the Grand Slam automatically, but he is not seeded at the event. The Greek star currently sits at World No 87 in the ATP Tour rankings.
Tsitsipas’ best performance at Wimbledon is two fourth round appearances at the Grand Slam, which he managed in both the 2018 and 2023 seasons.
The Greek star was beaten in the first round of Wimbledon last year, after he was forced to retire after being two sets down to Valentin Royer.
Tsitsipas holds a 16-14 win-loss record in 2026, with his best displays coming at this year’s Madrid Open, where he reached the round of 16 of the Masters event.
The star’s recent form is a far cry from the form that saw him claim an ATP Finals, three Monte Carlo Masters titles, as well as two Grand Slam finals at the Australian Open in 2023 and Roland Garros in 2021.
