Stefanos Tsitsipas calls Nick Kyrgios a ‘bully’ after ‘circus’ of fiery Wimbledon clash

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Stefanos Tsitsipas accused Nick Kyrgios of being a “bully” following the “circus” of their fiery third-round clash at Wimbledon.

Tsitsipas, the tournament’s fourth seed, was upset in four dramatic sets by Kyrgios that saw both players handed code violations after losing their temper.

The Greek player apologised after whacking a ball into the crowd in frustration, narrowly avoiding the head of a spectator, but said he had been “triggered” by the behaviour of Kyrgios on the other side of the net.

Kyrios, who called for Tsitsipas to be defaulted for the incident, was involved in a constant exchange with the umpire during the heated four-set match and insisted that he did nothing to “disrespect” his opponent during the match.

“It’s constant bullying, that’s what he does,” Tsitsipas said. “He bullies the opponents. He was probably a bully at school himself. I don’t like bullies. I don’t like people that put other people down.

“He has some good traits in his character, as well. But when he -- he also has a very evil side to him, which if it’s exposed, it can really do a lot of harm and bad to the people around him.

“Myself, when I feel like other people disrespect me and don’t respect what I’m doing from the other side of the court, it’s absolute normal from my side to act and do something about it.”

More follows