Stefanos Tsitsipas said he did not mean to hit his father and coach Apostolos with a racket swipe in a mid-match fit of rage during Tuesday’s ATP Cup loss to Australia’s Nick Kyrgios.
The Greek 21-year-old, ranked sixth in the world, lost 7-6(7) 6-7(3) 7-6(5) and took out his frustration after losing the opening set tiebreak with two racket swipes near the team bench, the second of which bruised his father’s arm.
“It happened accidentally, I didn’t mean to do it and straight away forgot about it and moved on from there,” Tsitsipas told reporters. “It happens, I wasn’t aiming to do that. It just went out of control, unfortunately.
“Maybe I’ll stay in my room for three days, grounded by my father,” he added, laughing.