"Why did the tennis gods have to pair one of the coolest playstyles on tour with this personality" - Tennis fans react to Stefanos Tsitsipas' message to his 'haters'
Stefanos Tsitsipas, who faced the ire of the tennis fraternity for his comments about Andrey Rublev after losing to the Russian at the ATP Finals in Turin, is now in the eye of a storm after his defiant defense aimed at "haters."
Tsitsipas, who went down 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to Rublev, claimed in his post-match presser that he was the "better player" against an opponent who had prevailed with the "few tools" that he possessed. Following the severe backlash he received for that comment, Tsitsipas took to Instagram and wrote:
"Dear haters, I have so much more for you to be mad at. Just be patient."
Tennis fans have now reacted to the edgy statement, with one individual stating that while he did feel sorry for Tsitsipas, the player's personality did not match up with "one of the coolest playstyles on tour."
"I felt sorry for him last night, watching his parents constantly talking down at him... Then he delivers his salty “few tools” post-match interview, followed by this. Ugh. Why did the tennis gods have to pair one of the coolest play styles on tour, with this personality?" one fan wrote.
The "haters" comment set off a discussion as to whether the 2021 French Open finalist even had a PR or social media manager.
Fans also debated whether Tsitsipas' post was directed at his parents. The Greek was seen visibily reprimanding his parents on the court during his match against Rublev, supposedly over their displeased gestures at his errors.
Here are a few more fan reactions:
Stefanos Tsitsipas once inadvertently bruised his father during on-court meltdown
Stefanos Tsitsipas' relationship with his father Apostolos Tsitsipas, who also acts as his coach, has been visibly volatile over the years.
During a match against Nick Kyrgios in January 2020, after losing the opening set to the Australian, Tsitispas injured his father with a reckless swipe of his racquet.
While the World No. 3 had sought to play down the incident, claiming it was an "accident," his father's immediate reaction was one of shock. Tsitsipas received a warning and was later hit with a point penalty for his impulsive actions during the match, even as the bruise on his father's arm was clearly visible.
Tsitsipas' mother was then seen reprimanding her son before he lost 7-6 (9-7), 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-5) at the Pat Rafter Arena.
“I didn’t mean to do it and straight away forgot about it and moved on from there. It happens. I wasn’t aiming to do that, it’s just that it went out of control, unfortunately,” Tsitsipas had stated when probed about the incident.