Daniel Altmaier has played down the hype surrounding Stefanos Tsitsipas’ fiery exchange with him following their second round clash at the US Open on Thursday.
The world No.56 produced a 7-6(5), 1-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Tsitsipas after more than four hours of play. It is the first time Altmaier has beaten a top 50 player in a Grand Slam tournament after suffering seven straight losses. It is also the first time he has reached the last 32 of a major event outside of the French Open.
However, the German has come under fire from Tsitsipas, who took issue with his use of the underarm serve. A shot that isn’t frequently used on the Tour but is still within the rules. As soon as the match ended, Tsitsipas took no time to express his feelings at the net.
“Next time, don’t wonder why I hit you, okay? No, I’m just saying if you serve underarm … if you serve underarm,” Tsitsipas told Altmaier.
Tsitsipas was referring to a forehand shot of his that hit the German earlier in their match, which he then apologised for. Altmaier refused to engage in the conversation and just walked away.
Speaking about the incident during his press conference, Altmaier told Ben Rothenberg’s Bounces that people say stuff they wouldn’t usually do ‘in the heat of the moment.’ It was the second time the two have played against each other in a Grand Slam tournament. Their first meeting was at the 2024 French Open, which Tsitsipas won in four sets.
“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,” said Altmaier.
“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.”
The US Open is the ninth consecutive ATP tournament where Tsitsipas has failed to win back-to-back matches. This season, he has failed to go beyond the second round of any major event for the first time since 2017.
Altmaier will next play eighth seed Alex de Minaur, who swept aside Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki 6-2, 6-4, 6-2, in his latest match.
