The tension between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios spilled over into the press conference room following their ill-tempered clash at Wimbledon on Saturday when the Greek accused his Australian opponent of having an "evil side".
The bad-tempered match overshadowed the rest of the action on day six, which included the end of Iga Swiatek's 37-match winning streak and a routine victory for Rafael Nadal, who was also involved in a tense exchange with Lorenzo Sonego.
The mercurial Kyrgios prevailed 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 in an incident-packed third-round match on Court One.
The contest descended into mayhem when a frustrated Tsitsipas hit the ball into the crowd after losing the second set.
Kyrgios told the umpire that Tsitsipas should be kicked out of Wimbledon, recalling the incident at the US Open in 2020 when Novak Djokovic was defaulted from the tournament after hitting a line judge with a ball.
"You can't hit a ball into the crowd and hit someone and not get defaulted," said Kyrgios, who received an audible obscenity warning during the match.
He kept up his verbal jousting with the umpire, clearly unsettling Tsitsipas, who was warned over the incident and later handed a point penalty for hitting the ball in frustration towards the back of the court.
The bad feeling bubbled up again in post-match press conferences, with fourth seed Tsitsipas saying it felt like 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 said he wished players could "come together and put a rule in place" to curb Kyrgios's behaviour.
"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."
But Kyrgios laughed off Tsitsipas's accusations, describing 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."
Tomorrow 2021
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
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9.30pm: Forever Young
Plastic tipping point
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
Tickets
Tickets for the 2019 Asian Cup are available online, via www.asiancup2019.com
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Company profile
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Started: 2017
Co-founders: Yousef Wadi, Kanaan Manasrah and Shadi Shalabi
Based: Jordan
Sector: Technology
Initial investment: Close to $100,000
Investors: Propeller, 500 Startups, Wamda Capital, Agrimatico, Techstars and some angel investors
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