Stefanos Tsitsipas said accusations of gamesmanship were “completely false” after being knocked out of the 2021 US Open by rising Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz.
The third seed had come under fire for the timing and length of his toilet breaks, with Andy Murray heavily criticising him following their first-round match. Tsitsipas was booed again by the Flushing Meadows crowd when he left the court after losing the third set on Friday.
The Greek player returned to the court and won the fourth set 6-0, only to lose a final-set tie-breaker as Alcaraz progressed to the last 16 with a 6-3 4-6 7-6 (2) 0-6 7-6 (5) victory. After his defeat, Tsitsipas said he has been misunderstood and made the villain of the tournament “for no reason”.
“I’m not pretending that everyone loves me. My intentions are not to be loved by everyone,” Tsitsipas said. “Every person can choose their favourite player, pick a side. Because people don’t know, that’s the thing. All these accusations have been completely false.”
“I know all of these things have been against me for no reason,” the 23-year-old added. “I took my toilet break as a normal athlete. [I] might have taken a bit longer than other athletes. But if there is a rule that says there’s a specific amount of time that you are allowed to take, then I would probably try and follow that.”
“But I feel like people don’t understand. They are here for the show, they want to watch tennis. They’re very impatient, especially the new generation. They just want to get it done quick. For me the only thing I did is change from wet clothes to dry clothes. Apparently it’s a huge issue.”
While Tsitsipas was left defending himself, Alcaraz was basking in a “dream come true”. The Spanish teenager has already been hailed as Rafael Nadal’s successor and he seized his chance on the big stage in superb fashion.
“I have no words to explain how I feeling right now,” the 18-year-old said. “I just don’t know what happened out there in the court. I can’t believe that I beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in an epic match. For me it’s a dream come true.”
There was another upset in Friday’s evening session, as Frances Tiafoe defeated the No 5 seed, Andrey Rublev, in five sets. A small crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium stayed to cheer every point as the match ran on until 2.14am, one of the latest finishes in tournament history.
Tiafoe had lost in five sets here to John Isner in 2016, Roger Federer in 2017 and Alexander Zverev in 2019, but prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-1 against his Russian opponent. He could yet meet Alcaraz in the quarter-finals, if he is able to pull off another surprise against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round.
The Canadian No 12 seed defeated Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in another five-set battle on Friday. Meanwhile, Alcaraz will face German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk in his next match in New York.