Stefanos Tsitsipas gets scathing verdict on US Open behaviour: ‘Feels like being in kindergarten’
Tennis great Justine Henin has made her feelings clear on Stefanos Tsitsipas’ conduct after the Greek suffered a disappointing second round exit at the 2025 US Open.
Two-time Grand Slam runner-up Tsitsipas lost 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7 to world No 56 Daniel Altmaier in a US Open battle lasting four hours and 26 minutes on Thursday.
After Altmaier saved a match point in the fifth set en route to sealing a comeback victory, Tsitsipas confronted the German during the handshake for hitting an underarm serve. Tsitsipas asserted that he would hit the ball at Altmaier if he served underarm in future.
“Next time, don’t wonder why I hit you, ok? No, I’m just saying, if you serve underarm… if you serve underarm,” said Tsitsipas.
Altmaier looked taken aback and walked away from a visibly frustrated Tsitsipas.
Speaking to Eurosport, former world No 1 Henin argued Tsitsipas’ actions point to an “ego issue.”
“Altmaier has every right to serve under the arm. I don’t think he would have reacted like that a year or two ago,” said the seven-time Grand Slam champion.
Stefanos Tsitsipas News
Stefanos Tsitsipas told he will ‘regret his words’ by US Open conqueror after underarm serve row
“There’s a bit of an ego issue: ‘I don’t get served under the arm.’ That says a lot about everything he’s been going through for a while. It feels a bit like being in kindergarten, almost.”
In his press conference, Altmaier said: “I know that sometimes in the heat of the moment, you can say stuff you don’t normally would like to say.
“You regret afterwards. So I think we all know about these discussions at the net; I’m not a fan of it.
“Even if I would have lost, I would not enter discussions because it’s just, like, the heat of the moment.
“You need to cool down; let’s see if he reacts to it or sticks to his opinion. Which is fine for me. I know what I did and that’s it. It’s part of the game.”
Tsitsipas, a former world No 3, is currently ranked 28th and holds a 20-17 (54%) record in 2025. The 27-year-old has not won consecutive matches since the Barcelona Open in April.
The highlight of Tsitsipas’ difficult campaign was winning the Dubai Championships in February/March.
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