US Open 2025: Stefanos Tsitsipas involved in heated underarm serve spat after second-round exit to Daniel Altmaier - ‘Don’t wonder why I hit you’

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Stefanos Tsitsipas was just one point away from reaching the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time since the 2024 French Open, but Daniel Altmaier eventually overcame the Greek in a five-set thriller. The former world No. 3 had some stern words for his German opponent after the match, criticising his decision to serve underarm at least twice in set four, but Altmaier was left unimpressed.

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Daniel Altmaier warned that Stefanos Tsitsipas "will regret his words" after the pair were involved in a row over underarm serving at the end of the German's five-set victory.

The Greek dramatically passed up a match point in the decider with Altmaier eventually winning a thrilling contest 7-6(5) 1-6 4-6 6-3 7-5 to march into the US Open third round.

But the fireworks did not stop there, with Tsitsipas criticising his opponent for serving underarm in the fourth set and implying he then deliberately aimed to hit the German with the ball.

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As the pair met at the net to shake hands, Tsitsipas was visibly disgruntled after losing a match which lasted four hours and 26 minutes.

"Next time, don’t wonder why I hit you, okay? No, I’m just saying if you serve underarm..." Tsitsipas told Altmaier.

Altmaier's reaction was to ignore his opponent's complaints and walk away from the Greek, going over to shake the umpire's hand instead.

Later, Altmaier explained that he was "not a fan" of heated discussions at the net, insisting that electing to play an underarm serve was part of the game.

"I mean, I know that sometimes in the heat of the moment you can say stuff which you don’t normally like to say," said Altmaier.

"You regret it afterwards. So I think we all know 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 the heat of the moment.

"You need to cool down, let’s see if he reacts to it or sticks to his opinion, which, for me, it’s fine, I think I know what I did, and that’s it. It’s part of the game."

Tsitsipas has now failed to reach the third round of a Grand Slam in a single season for the first time since 2017.

Having reached two Slam finals - at the 2023 Australian Open and 2021 French Open - and once ranked men's No. 3, the 27-year-old has now slipped to world No. 28.

"Tomorrow, Stefanos will regret his words. In football, fists fly or people get into arguments," Altmaier added to Sky Sports.

"In tennis, you say something that might not be appropriate. That’s part of the sport. A lot of money and self-confidence are at stake.

"When you’re playing tennis until midnight, you can sometimes say something you don’t really mean. Or maybe he does."

Altmaier moves on to face eighth seed Alex de Minaur in the third round, hoping to match his previous best Grand Slam finish when he reached the fourth round at this year's French Open.

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