"There’s a bit of an ego issue " - Justine Henin slams Stefanos Tsitispas 'kindergarten' behaviour after second round US Open defeat

Stefanos Tsitsipas has come under criticism from former world number one Justine Henin after the Greek reacted negatively to an underarm serve his opponent attempted against him.

His US Open campaign was halted indefinitely after a second-round loss to German Daniel Altmaier, in a titanic battle that lasted almost four and a half hours. The two-time Grand Slam finalist fell behind in the first set after a tight tiebreaker, which he came out on the wrong end of 7-5. He would make up for it with two consecutive sets, putting him in pole position for his first third-round appearance at a Grand Slam since Roland Garros in 2024.

Altmaier fought back into the tie, clinching the fourth set after going a break down, before surving a match point to claim one of his own to send him through to the US Open third round for the first time in his career.

In the fourth set, the German cheekily went for an underarm serve, trying to catch Tsitsipas off guard. He would win the point, but not the plaudits of his on-court rival. In the following point, Tsitispas lashed a forehand straight at Altmaier, who had come forward to the net, striking him whilst apoligising afterwards. After the match, the 27-year-old shared his disgust and anger with Altmaier for the serve when shaking hands, as he said: “Next time, don’t wonder why I hit you, ok? No, I’m just saying, if you serve underarm… if you serve underarm.”

The reaction was not taken well by everyone, with seven-time Grand Slam champion Henin lambasting Tsitsipas for his poor attitude, questionning whether he would have acted like that in the past. “Altmaier has every right to serve under the arm," Henin said, speaking on Eurosport. "I don’t think he would have reacted like that a year or two ago,” said the seven-time Grand Slam champion. "There’s a bit of an ego issue: ‘I don’t get served under the arm.’ That says a lot about everything he’s been going through for a while. It feels a bit like being in kindergarten, almost.”

Altmaier also had his say on the situation, speaking in his press conference after his second-round triumph. “I know that sometimes in the heat of the moment, you can say stuff you don’t normally would like to say," he said. "You regret afterwards. So I think we all know about these discussions at the net; I’m not a fan of it. 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.”

Despite all of this, the world number 56 had the last laugh, with him the one progressing to the third round, where he faced another tough test in the form of world number eight Alex de Minaur. Similar to the previous match, Altmaier secured a first-set tiebreak, just managing to claw himself ahead of the Aussie. De Minaur would then step it up a level, winning the next two sets before the German was forced to retire 2-0 down in the fourth set due to injury.

For Tsitsipas, it is a more concerning time. The former world number three was touted to be one of the dominant forces in the men's game, challenging regularly for big titles and Grand Slams, but in recent times, it has not panned out as expected. With just three wins in his last six Grand Slam events, there are not only questions about his attitude, but also his ability on the tennis court.