After falling to Nick Kyrgios in a heated encounter at Wimbledon on Saturday, Stefanos Tsitsipas remarked that the Australian had an "evil aspect" to his personality.
In an intense, contentious encounter on Court One, Kyrgios defeated Tsitsipas in four sets (6-7(2) 6-4 6-3 7-6(7)), but the two continued to argue in their post-match news conferences.
Tsitsipas attempted to strike Kyrgios with a shot during the heated exchange because he was annoyed by the other player's "continuous bullying" from behind the net.
The umpire reprimanded Kyrgios for using foul language and he became enraged when Tsitsipas wasn't punished for smashing a ball into the crowd out of fury.
"Yes, he bullies constantly; it is what he does. He intimidates his foes. He most likely bullied kids in school himself. I detest bullies, "After the game, Tsitsipas spoke with the media.
"I don't like folks who disparage others. He also possesses some admirable qualities. However, he also has a very dark side that, if revealed, has the potential to do a lot of hurt and misery to those around him."
The two had a guarded handshake after the game.
In response to his opponent's remarks, Kyrgios, who has already made headlines at Wimbledon for both his tantrums and bold strokes, called them "soft."
When questioned on the court just after the game, he had earlier stated that he had a great deal of respect for the Greek.
"I am at a loss for words. I'm unsure of how I mistreated him. He was the one throwing balls at me, striking a spectator, and smacking the ball out of the stadium "After making it to the round of 16, Kyrgios spoke to the media.
"I didn't act disrespectfully toward Stefanos today. He wasn't getting the shaft from me. Coming in here and accusing me of bullying him is just weak. We are not made of the same stuff. I compete against the real competition every time.
"Just so you know, I have many buddies in the locker room. Actually, I'm among the most well-liked. I'm set. He is disliked. Put that there for now."
Later, Tsitsipas apologized for throwing the ball into the crowd and acknowledged attempting to body-shot Kyrgios.
He remarked, "I'm not used to playing this manner. "But I can't just stand there and seem robotic-like I'm totally unfeeling and uninformed.
"Because while you're performing your duties, noise is coming from the opposing side of the court for no real purpose.
"I felt like there was something happening on the other side of the net throughout each and every point I played today.
Bullying allegations were ridiculed by Kyrgios.
"That is, in a sense, his method of controlling the adversary and distracting you. Nobody else on the field performs this. I sincerely hope that all of us athletes can come up with something to make this a more wholesome version of our sport by making this type of conduct unacceptable."
The next round's opponent, Australian Kyrgios, will be American Brandon Nakashima, and he advised Tsitsipas to focus more on defeating him.
"If I was defeated by someone twice in a row, I would be quite disappointed. Perhaps he should first find out how to defeat me a few more times "said the Australian.
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