(VIDEO) "Go f**k yourself, imbecile. F**k off, idiot. Stupid" - Stefanos Tsitsipas delivers explicit outburst at father and argues with umpire enroute to dramatic first round win

Stefanos Tsitsipas ended his three-match losing streak with a closely fought 3-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(4) win over lucky loser Patrick Kypson in the first round of the Madrid Open. The match was packed with drama and tension, with the Greek loosing his cool on multiple occasions, lashing out at his father and the umpire throughout.

The two-time Grand Slam finalist has been through a torrid time of things lately on court, desperately hoping for some form in 2026. He has dropped to a new low of 80th in the world ahead of this tournament as he looks to try and find that old spark which made him one of the best players in the world.

The signs early on were not good as he fell to a 4-1 deficit against his American opponent. Coached by his father, Apostolos, the 27-year-old was pictured an angry and frustrated figure as he sat on his chair sending explicit messages across to him. "B*****d, you piece of s**t," he shouted. "Go f**k yourself, imbecile. F**k off, idiot. Stupid."

Him and his father have not had the smoothest relationship. Having been coached by his old man from a young age, Tsitsipas has rarely competed at a tennis tournament without him by his side. He had stints with Dimitris Chatzinikolaou and Goran Ivanišević between 2024 and 2025 but joined back up with his father. No fortune has come from this, with the Greek still not finding his best form.

The drama did not stop there for Tsitsipas. The first warning came when his father started speaking to him when they were on opposite sides of the court. The second would come in a crucial time in the match.

Kypson was serving at 2-2 15-0 in the third set when Tsitsipas was hit with a second code violation by umpire Marijana Veljovic. This resulted in a point penalty and was due to his father continuing to talk as the point was underway. “Code violation, coaching, point penalty, Mr. Tsitsipas. 30-0,” she declared.

Tsitsipas was not a happy man. As whistles and jeers rang around Stadium 3, he marched over to the umpire's chair to have a discussion about this decision. “If he talks to you in between the points from the beginning until the end,” the umpire said, trying to get the point over before Tsitsipas cut her off.

“Does it bother my opponent? As far as I know, coaching is allowed,” he replied. “Yes, discreet. Stefanos, if talks to you when you’re on this side, when you’re on that side - If he talks to you in the whole duration between the two points, that’s just way too much,” Veljovic said.

“Discreet? Is he bothering my opponent?” Tsitsipas asked. “Not at this moment, but it’s against the rule,” she replied. Tsitsipas feel back on the prior code violation he had received in his argument. “You said not to talk when I’m on the other side of the court, which I’m doing. I’m actually doing. So why, when I’m on my side, it’s also not allowed?”

“It’s not allowed as much as he does it,” Veljovic explained. Tsitsipas was still not convinced. “You’re just going to take a point like this from me because of some stupidity?” He would storm off towards the baseline as the umpire had the final word: “I have to. Didn’t I tell you? I have to do something about it.”

It was a contentious decision which saw a lot of mixed views from tennis fans. Commentators Mikey Perera and Robbie Koenig attempted to get their point of view across to the viewers.

“Well, the point penalty. We’ve had the warning, that was in the previous set for Tsitsipas. Now he gets the point penalty for coaching,” Mikey Perera commented. “That’s a strong ruling [from] Marijana Veljovic the chair umpire.”

Koenig replied: “It’s the same side of the court as his dad now. I can understand if he’s on the other side, that’s when he got the warning initially, he was on the other side of the court. But he was on the same side of the court now. Not sure that would bother Kypson.”

Tsitsipas would force a tiebreak and managed to squeeze out a result, winning all bar one point from 3-3. The 2019 finalist has failed to get past the second round twice. He will be desperately hoping that feat does not emerge once more.

"Actually, he's a player who really fights for every point," he stated after the match. "He really knows how to fight. That's what struck me most about him today during the match. He fought very well on some points. He didn't give me much time to attack or build my own points from the baseline, and I think he played his drop shots well. He knew when to use them, very intelligently. He's a creative player. He came to the net several times and played well there too. He has good touch."

He hinted at a lack of confidence in his game, and that his defeat in Munich the prior week was still lingering on his mind. "Sometimes I'm exhausted. I've worked a lot and tried to improve in many areas. Last week in Munich, I had a chance to win the match (against Marozsan), but I let it slip. I need a bit more confidence in my game, and I think it's important to win these kinds of matches. When you step on court without really wanting to, it doesn't help you feel ready or feel like you gave your best."

Tsitsipas has a tricky test awaiting him in the form of world number 11 Alexander Bublik.