Stefanos Tsitsipas on Saturday denied making racist comments over bitter rival Nick Kyrgios, claiming his remarks that the Australian firebrand played “uneducated” tennis have been “misinterpreted.”
The world No. 5 also told Netflix’s Break Point series that Kyrgios brought “an NBA basketball attitude” to tennis.
The remarks were recorded at Wimbledon last year after the two men fought out a controversial third-round tie in which Tsitsipas claimed Kyrgios should have been defaulted for hitting the ball into the crowd.
Photo: Reuters
Kyrgios, who won the match and went on to finish runner-up to Novak Djokovic in the final, said that Tsitispas had “serious issues” after the Greek described him as “evil” and a “bully.”
On Saturday, Tsitispas hit back at claims on social media that his latest comments about Kyrgios were racist.
“I deeply regret if my words were misinterpreted or caused offense, as that was never my intention,” Tsitsipas wrote on Facebook.
“My previous remarks regarding Nick Kyrgios were not meant to undermine his intelligence or abilities. Instead, I simply intended to express my perspective on certain aspects of his playing style, drawing comparisons to the passion and intensity often associated with basketball,” he said.
The 28-year-old Australian shrugged off the controversy.
“It was a very heated battle — sometimes as players we go into these press conferences without digesting the match,” he wrote on Twitter.
“We’ve had some crazy battles and I know deep down you like my brand of tennis. We are all good @steftsitsipas,” he added.
They were due to play at the Mallorca Open this week, but the Australian pulled out on Saturday with a knee injury.
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