Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas were a part of a very entertaining match, and the drama continued after the match as well.
Stefanos Tsitsipas faced off against Nick Kyrgios in the 3rd round of Wimbledon. Nick entered this match as the favorite because of his ability to play well on the grass courts. On the other hand, Tsitsipas hasn’t been as good on the grass courts as he has been on the other courts during his career.
Both of them were in great form, and there was huge excitement about this match among the fans of the sport. As expected, the match between these two great players didn’t disappoint. It was a great match between both of them, and as usual, there were many instances of controversies during the game.
Stefanos Tsitsipas was able to take the first set of the match (7-6) and looked in great shape for the remaining match. Unsurprisingly, Nick Kyrgios bounced back and took the next two sets, to tilt the advantage in his favor. He won the second set 6-4 and took the third set 6-3.
The fourth set of the match also went into the tiebreak similar to the first set. However, the result of it wasn’t similar to the result of the first set. Nick Kyrgios was able to win the 4th set and also sealed the win to qualify for the 4th round of Wimbledon.
It was a disappointing exit for Stefanos Tsitsipas because he wasn’t fully focused on the match due to all the things that happened during the game. As a result, Kyrgios was able to control the match, and as a result, he was able to get the better of the Greek superstar, and he continued his great form this year. Nick Kyrgios will face Brandon Nakashima in the 4th round, and he’ll be a heavy favorite to win that game as well.
“He bullies his opponents” – Stefanos Tsitsipas on Nick Kyrgios
Stefanos Tsitsipas didn’t hesitate in taking shots at Nick Kyrgios in the press conference after the match. He believed that Kyrgios bullies his opponents and claimed he lost his focus during the match due to all the things that happened during the adage.
Tsitsipas said, “I enjoyed my tennis today. A bit disappointed with some of the things that went down, especially when they are repetitive over and over again. It starts to get really difficult to ignore. Like a circus.” Talking about Kyrgios, he added, “It’s constant bullying. He bullies his opponents. He was probably a bully at school.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas, during the game, frustratedly hit the ball away with his racquet and it landed in the fan section. It might have hit a fan, and there was a huge dispute regarding it. Kyrgios believed that Tsitsipas should have been defaulted due to his actions, and the match should have ended straight away.
Talking about that instance, Tsitsipas said, “It was really bad from my side. I’ve never done that before. I did apologize. I don’t know what went through my head. With all the circus show going on on the other side of the net, it started to become very tiring.”
He added, “I didn’t hit any people, it hit the wall, thank God. It’s my responsibility for sure but there was also something that created that behavior that I’m not used to see myself.”
Kyrgios clapped back after Tsitsipas comments about him
Nick Kyrgios didn’t hesitate in responding back to Stefanos Tsitsipas after the Greek had strong words to say about him. Kyrgios believed that Tsitsipas shouldn’t have been able to continue the match after the incident with the fan, and claimed that he needs to get better to beat him.
Talking about the bullying comments, Nick said, “I’m not sure how I bullied him. He was the one that was hitting balls at me. He was the one who hit a spectator. Apart from going back and forth with the umpire, I did nothing disrespectful towards him.”
He added, “The circus was all him today. He’s got some serious issues. I’m liked in the locker room, he is not.” Kyrgios believes that Tsitsipas isn’t liked by many in the locker room, and that might be true. Stef has had his issues with many players due to his confidence, which is sometimes looked at as arrogance in others’ eyes.
Nick Kyrgios might be on his way to face Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon Semi-Finals
Kyrgios has been heavily criticized throughout the tournament due to his antics on the court, which are not seen as good for the sport by many fans. However, he has answered all his critics with his performance on the court.
He will be facing Brandon Nakashima in the next round and is likely to face Alex De Minaur in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon. He will be a heavy favorite in both of those games. As a result, we are likely to see him face off against Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals.
If they face off against each other in the same fashion, then it’s going to be a great game. Both of them are in great form. Nadal has already won the first two grand slams of the calendar year. He is looking forward to winning this one as well. On the other hand, Kyrgios is proving to everyone that he is still a great player. He wants to show that he can win big matches against good opponents as well.
Rafael Nadal will be facing Botic Van De Zandschulp in the 4th round and is likely to face Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals. His path to the semi-finals is also looking pretty easy, and he will hope to get the job done.
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