'He was playing dirty tennis' – Stefanos Tsitsipas’ mother criticises Nick Kyrgios after feud with her son
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Published 13/10/2022 at 13:08 GMT
Julia Sergeyevna Apostoli spoke out publicly against Nick Kyrgios after the Greek-Australian's antics in an ill-tempered Wimbledon third-round match against her son, Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek was most recently in action in the Astana Open final on October 9, where he lost 6-3 6-4 to Novak Djokovic. The Serb won the match in just 70 minutes to secure back-to-back ATP titles.
’Going to be fireworks’ - Djokovic ahead of Wimbledon final against Kyrgios
Stefanos Tsitsipas’ mother has spoken out publicly against Nick Kyrgios after his controversial antics in the duo’s turbulent third round encounter at Wimbledon this year.
Kyrgios lost his temper on several occasions in a tempestuous encounter, criticising the umpire, Damien Dumusois, at various points in the match.
The Greek-Australian also expressed his frustration at Tsitsipas' antics after he swatted the ball into the crowd as Kyrgios won the first set.
Tsitsipas received a warning for his actions, but Kyrgios wanted Dumusois to issue his opponent a default. Now, three months later, Julia Sergeyevna Apostoli has had her say on the matter and passionately defended her son.
"The only person who confuses Stefanos is Nick Kyrgios. He is the only one who brings him out of himself," she said in quotes published by greekcitytimes.com.
“In the Wimbledon match, Kyrgios decided to ignore the general rules of sports. The match became very strange and nervous because he was playing 'dirty' tennis.
"Stefanos doesn't play like that. He completely lost his temper due to the behaviour of his opponent and lost the match without being any worse on the court."
Turning to matters on the court, Tsitsipas was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the final of the Astana Open in Kazakhstan on Sunday.
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'I dare to dream' - Djokovic on being 'very grateful and blessed' to still play at highest level
The Serb turned on the style to win 6-3 6-4 in just 70 minutes and claim his place at the ATP Finals in Turin next month.
Djokovic has now won consecutive titles after his victory in at the Tel Aviv Open the previous week. The achievement is all the more impressive given that the 35-year-old was out of action for three months and missed the US Open due to his vaccination status.
He also ranks fifth in ATP Tour titles won behind Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl and Rafael Nadal.
“I’m just very grateful and blessed to be able to play this well at this stage of my life,” Djokovic told the ATP after the match.
“You know, 35 is not the same as 25, but I think the experience probably in these kinds of big matches and big occasions helps as well to approach mentally in the right way.”
Despite Djokovic’s resurgence, there is still opposition against the Serb competing at the Australian Open next year.
Former home affairs minister Karen Andrews publicly condemned any decision to allow Djokovic to compete at the Grand Slam.
“It would be a slap in the face for those people in Australia who did the right thing … if all of a sudden, Novak Djokovic is allowed back into the country, simply because he is a high-ranking tennis player with many millions of dollars,” Andrews told ABC Radio Melbourne.
“I don’t think there is any reason it should be overturned because someone has a lot of money. It shouldn’t be one rule for Novak Djokovic and a different rule for everybody else.”
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