Stefanos Tsitsipas says Nick Kyrgios had an “evil side” after their heated encounter

• Kyrgios defeated Tsitsipas in an intense Wimbledon clash.
• Tsitsipas slammed the ball towards the audience.
• Kyrgios suggested Tsitsipas  to be eliminated.

Stefanos Tsitsipas stated that Nick Kyrgios had an “evil side” after their heated encounter at Wimbledon on Saturday, in which Kyrgios called for the elimination of Tsitsipas.

The contentious match overshadowed the rest of day six’s events, which featured the termination of Iga Swiatek’s 37-match winning run and Rafael Nadal’s easy victory.

In an action-packed third-round match on Court One, the unpredictable Kyrgios prevailed 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (9/7).

After losing the second set, a disgruntled Tsitsipas slammed the ball into the audience, causing the match to devolve into chaos.

Kyrgios suggested to the chair umpire that Tsitsipas should be disqualified from Wimbledon, referencing the 2020 US Open incident in which Novak Djokovic was disqualified for hitting a line judge.

During the match, the 27-year-old received an audible obscenity warning for saying, “You can’t hit a ball into the crowd and hit someone and not get defaulted,”

He kept arguing with the umpire, disturbing Tsitsipas, who was warned and then penalized for smashing the ball in disgust.

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In post-match press conferences, fourth-seeded Tsitsipas expressed that he felt like he was in a “circus.”

“He bullies the opponents,” said the Greek, who admitted trying to hit the ball at Kyrgios.

“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… 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.”

Tsitsipas wished that players could “get together and implement a rule” to limit Kyrgios’ behavior.

“There is no other player that does this,” he said. “There is no other player that is so upset and frustrated all the time with something. It triggers it so easy and so fast.”

Kyrgios, though, scoffed at Tsitsipas’ comments, characterizing his opponent as “soft.”

“We’re not cut from the same cloth,” he said. “I go up against guys who are true competitors.”

He added: “I’m good in the locker room. I’ve got many friends, just to let you know. I’m actually one of the most liked. I’m set. He’s not liked. Let’s just put that there.”

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