\u201cNext time, don\u2019t wonder why I hit you, OK? No, I\u2019m just saying if you serve underarm,\u201d Tsitsipas said as the pair shook hands following the match.<\/p>\n
Altmaier responded by patting him on the shoulder.<\/p>\n
Stefanos Tsitsipas had some words with Dan Altmaier after losing to him at U.S. Open:<\/p>\n
He\u2019s complaining about Dan hitting an underarm serve during the 4th set. <\/p>\n
Frosty. \ud83e\udd76<\/p>\n
pic.twitter.com\/eEaPIpuApL<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n As the German star started to move away from him, Tsitsipas walked closer, repeating, \u201cIf you serve underarm.\u201d<\/p>\n An underhand serve is legal in tennis, but is considered a controversial tactic since it can catch an opponent off guard.<\/p>\n Altmaier ended the spat by waving him off and going to shake hands with the umpires. After the confrontation, Altmaier expressed sympathy for his opponent.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that sometimes in the heat of the moment you can say stuff which you don\u2019t normally would like to say,\u201d Altmaier said, according to Ben Rothenberg\u2019s Substack, Bounces<\/a>. \u201cEven if I would have lost, I would not enter discussions because it\u2019s just like heat of the moment. You need to cool down.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s see if he reacts to it or he sticks to his opinion,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time Tsitsipas has gotten in a tiff with another player. <\/p>\n In a 2018 Miami Open match against Russian star Daniil Medvedev, Tsitsipas cursed at him for taking a bathroom break during the match despite him also taking one.<\/p>\n \u201cHe said, \u2018F—ing Russian.\u2019 You think this is normal?\u201d Medvedev asked the umpire.<\/p>\n The umpire sided with the Russian star, agreeing that Tsitsipas initiated the heated exchange.<\/p>\n This spat between Tsitsipas and Altmaier comes a day after another altercation at the U.S. Open. After American star Taylor Townsend secured a win over Latvian tennis player Jelena Ostapenko, Ostapenko allegedly told Townsend, who is Black, that she had \u201cno class\u201d and \u201cno education,\u201d which users on social media decried as racist. <\/p>\n \u201c[Ostapenko] told me I have no class, no education, and to see what happens when we get outside the U.S.,\u201d Townsend told ESPN<\/a>.<\/p>\n Townsend, however, did not take the remarks as racist. <\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t take it in that way, but also, you know, that has been a stigma in our community of being \u2018not educated\u2019 and all of the things, when it\u2019s the furthest thing from the truth,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Ostapenko responded to the social media criticism in a now-expired series of Instagram story posts.<\/p>\n \u201cWow how many messages I received that I am a racist,\u201d she wrote, according to ESPN. \u201cI was NEVER racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world, for me it doesn\u2019t matter where you come from.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"NEW](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/3NNJINUOJVCGTDXHHY7LKFBICI.jpg\")
Daniel Altmaier was caught on a hot mic criticizing his opponent for using an underarm serve. Mike Stobe\/Getty Images <\/p>\n![\"NEW](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/X3IY75E7GJC47DBOHQUCSLBTCQ.jpg\")
American star Taylor Townsend said Jelena Ostapenko told her she had “no class” and “no education” during a heated exchange after a match. Clive Brunskill\/Clive Brunskill\/Getty Images <\/p>\n