Stefanos Tsitsipas reignited the discussion with
Nick Kyrgios from last year
Wimbledon.
The 2022 Wimbledon saw Kyrgios achieve the best result of his career in a Grand Slam, reaching his first final in this type of tournament. The Australian stood out in the tournament and eliminated the fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round, partially clearing his path to the final.
In the match against the Greek player, there was great tension between the players, which led Tsitsipas to lose control on some occasions and be overcome by Kyrgios' mental game. The world No. 5 spoke about the Australian several times after that, and fate brought them together to play in an exhibition match in Saudi Arabia, where a cold relationship between the athletes was evident.
In the latest episode of Break Point, Tsitsipas recalled the controversy at Wimbledon:
"He has brought that NBA basketball attitude to tennis. I would describe it as an uneducated approach to playing tennis. But you know, tennis is a gentleman's sport, it's all about respect. We are not playing basketball. I feel he was trying to disrupt my rhythm. He kept putting his towel in my box," he said.
"There was zero respect coming from my opponent that day. He kept pushing my buttons nonstop - and of course, I got annoyed. He just loves attention. And if he doesn't get any of that, it is complete destruction," Tsitsipas added.
Kyrgios currently leads their head-to-head matches 4-1, including their last two meetings on grass in 2022, both won by the Australian.