Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas’ choice words for German opponent Daniel Altmaier were caught on a hot mic after he beat him at the U.S. Open.
After Altmaier defeated the Greek star in five sets in the second round of the games, Tsitsipas threw shade at him for using the rare underhand serve and indicated he tried to strike him with a ball, according to The Guardian.
“Next time, don’t wonder why I hit you, OK? No, I’m just saying if you serve underarm,” Tsitsipas said as the pair shook hands following the match.
Altmaier responded by patting him on the shoulder.
Stefanos Tsitsipas had some words with Dan Altmaier after losing to him at U.S. Open:He’s complaining about Dan hitting an underarm serve during the 4th set. Frosty. 🥶 pic.twitter.com/eEaPIpuApL
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 29, 2025
As the German star started to move away from him, Tsitsipas walked closer, repeating, “If you serve underarm.”
An underhand serve is legal in tennis, but is considered a controversial tactic since it can catch an opponent off guard.
Altmaier ended the spat by waving him off and going to shake hands with the umpires. After the confrontation, Altmaier expressed sympathy for his opponent.
“I know that sometimes in the heat of the moment you can say stuff which you don’t normally would like to say,” Altmaier said, according to Ben Rothenberg’s Substack, Bounces. “Even if I would have lost, I would not enter discussions because it’s just like heat of the moment. You need to cool down.”
“Let’s see if he reacts to it or he sticks to his opinion,” he added.
This isn’t the first time Tsitsipas has gotten in a tiff with another player.
In a 2018 Miami Open match against Russian star Daniil Medvedev, Tsitsipas cursed at him for taking a bathroom break during the match despite him also taking one.
“He said, ‘F—ing Russian.’ You think this is normal?” Medvedev asked the umpire.
Testy denouement to the Medvedev-Tsitsipas NextGen clash in Miami today: pic.twitter.com/0TBQOF0cje
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) March 22, 2018
The umpire sided with the Russian star, agreeing that Tsitsipas initiated the heated exchange.
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