"Tsitsipas fumes at opponent’s underarm serves: 'Don’t wonder why I hit you next time'"

Stefanos Tsitsipas expressed his frustration with his opponent’s approach after missing a match point and exiting the US Open in the second round with a five-set loss to Daniel Altmaier on Thursday.

The 7-6 (5), 1-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 defeat means Tsitsipas, once ranked third in the world, will finish the season without reaching the third round of a major tournament for the first time since 2017.

Altmaier used the underarm serve on several occasions during his comeback in the fourth set, a legal but uncommon tactic. Tsitsipas made his disapproval clear as the players shook hands after the four-hour, 26-minute match.

“Next time, don’t wonder why I hit you, OK? No, I’m just saying if you serve underarm ... if you serve underarm,” Tsitsipas told Altmaier, suggesting he had aimed shots at his opponent’s body during the contest.

Spectators jeered as the 56th-ranked Altmaier stepped back, raising his hand and refusing to respond.

Tsitsipas, a former finalist at the Australian and French Opens, recently ended his coaching arrangement with Goran Ivanisevic and reinstated his father, Apostolos, last month in an effort to reverse a slump in his form.

The 27-year-old has not secured consecutive wins since the Barcelona Open in April and has dropped to 28th in the rankings.