Daniel Altmaier had nothing more to say. Moments after one of the biggest wins of his career, the German unwittingly found himself on the receiving end of Stefanos Tsitsipas\u2019s ire during their handshake at the net. Before Tsitsipas could finish, though, Altmaier had walked away from the net and he refused to engage in the Greek\u2019s attempts to argue with him.<\/p>\n
Altmaier shrugs at the first mention of the incident: \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; let\u2019s see if he reacts to it or he sticks to his opinion while cooling down on an exercise bike in the player gym late at night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although Altmaier had the wherewithal to think clearly in the heat of battle, the same cannot be said for many other players in New York over the past week, a tournament that has been dominated by outbursts of anger and frustration from players. \u201cLots of drama,\u201d says Jessica Pegula, laughing. \u201cI don\u2019t know. My matches have been pretty no drama, so I\u2019m not really sure what\u2019s going on with everybody else. I don\u2019t know. It\u2019s just that New York City tends to bring out just a lot of drama, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n
In hindsight, the Daniil Medvedev show on the first night of the tournament<\/a> was a sign of things to come as he lambasted the umpire before inciting the Louis Armstrong Stadium audience into a six-minute protest while Benjamin Bonzi held match point in their first round match. Although that incident sparked a dramatic comeback, Medvedev lost in five unforgettable sets.<\/p>\n Then, after crashing out of the tournament in a second round loss to Taylor Townsend, Jelena Ostapenko crashed out on the court. Townsend later said Ostapenko\u2019s heated comments towards her had included the Latvian accusing her of having \u201cno education\u201d and \u201cno class\u201d. Tsitsipas, who was apparently frustrated by Altmaier\u2019s successful underarm serve in their second round match, tried to send his opponent a message after the match: \u201cNext time, don\u2019t wonder why I hit you, OK? No, I\u2019m just saying if you serve underarm\u2026\u201d he said, his voice trailing off. By that time, Altmaier had removed himself from the conversation.<\/p>\n These events, and many others, seem to be reflective of this particular moment of the tennis season. Stress runs high across on the tour, particularly at the major tournaments, but the US Open is positioned at a particularly fraught period towards the end of a long, gruelling season. Most players are tired, tightly strung and emotions are running high. They are, of course, also in New York, one of the most frantic cities in the world.<\/p>\n Daniil Medvedev breaks his racket after losing his match against Benjamin Bonzi. Photograph: Charly Triballeau\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n According to Pegula, the forceful New York crowds play a role in player behaviour on the court: \u201cI feel like the crowds, they\u2019re pretty crazy. They kind of get everyone riled up. Everyone is tense. It\u2019s the last slam of the season. Your last chance to go deep at a slam for a while. I think people maybe just get stressed out, and you\u2019re out there competing and fighting and trying to win. I think it just gets emotional. Adrenaline starts flowing.\u201d<\/p>\n Coco Gauff agrees: \u201cI think it\u2019s, (a) end of the year; (b) we\u2019re in New York, and the fans here \u2013 I love them \u2013 but [if] you\u2019re on the wrong side of things, can \u2026 They\u2019re into the match. They\u2019re passionate tennis fans. They know what\u2019s going on, and they\u2019re used to other events I think, like major events, happening in the city that aren\u2019t tennis.\u201d<\/p>\n Not everyone believes the location of the US Open has a role in player behaviour: \u201cHey, don\u2019t blame New York!\u201d says a smiling Naomi Osaka, who grew up in the city.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend\u2019s action<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Most of the angry players in New York this week also have lengthy rap sheets. Medvedev, for example, has long been one of the most volatile players on the tour. Osaka says: \u201cNot calling everyone out name by name, but Medvedev\u2019s had a couple of moments here that are kind of iconic. I feel like the people here might enjoy a show, but I think people everywhere enjoy a show.\u201d<\/p>\n Ostapenko\u2019s criticisms of Townsend, meanwhile, showed a lack of self-awareness considering she is notorious, and even admired by many, for her lack of sportsmanship. They are all also in poor form and this tournament represented their last opportunity to salvage their grand slam years, another potential source of tension.<\/p>\n For Gauff, it is not at all surprising to see these players involved: \u201cTo be honest, with some of the drama, I feel like it happens frequently on tour, but because it\u2019s here, it gets more social media clicks,\u201d she says. \u201cSome of the players, these are recurring things that us in the tennis world, it\u2019s not surprising. It\u2019s like: \u2018OK, whatever.\u2019 But because it\u2019s here in New York and maybe not as many tennis fans or things like that, it gets blown up on social media.\u201d<\/p>\n Before offering her opinion, Osaka jokingly makes it clear that she has not been part of any drama this week: \u201cI don\u2019t know if it\u2019s just the part of the season where everyone is, like, tired and irritated or something,\u201d she says, smiling. \u201cBut for me I think New York brings out my best behaviour, so I don\u2019t know what everyone else is doing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Daniel Altmaier had nothing more to say. 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