Murray Accuses Tsitsipas of Cheating in First Round Defeat

  • Andy Murray accused Stefanos Tsitsipas of cheating during their first round match at the US Open.
  • Tsitsipas took an eight-minute toilet break towards the end of his five-set victory.
  • “I lost respect for him,” Murray said.

Three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray accused Stefanos Tsitsipas of cheating during their first-round thriller at the US Open, after the Greek star took an eight-minute toilet break.

Murray, who is ranked 112th in the world following several injury setbacks, was tied two sets apiece with Tsitsipas when the 23-year-old took the extended break.

“It’s never taken me that long to go to the bathroom ever,” an incensed Murray told match supervisor Gerry Armstrong.

He also accused his opponent, who had taken a number of other breaks during the match, of “cheating.”

After Tsitsipas went on to win the final set and book his place in the tournament’s second round, Murray hit out at him again in his post-match press conference.

“It’s not so much leaving the court. It’s the amount of time,” he said. “I spoke to my team before the match about it and said [we should] prepare for it if things were not going his way.

“The issue is that you cannot stop the way that that affects you physically. When you’re playing a brutal match like that, stopping for seven [or] eight minutes, you do cool down.”

He added: “It’s just disappointing because I feel it influenced the outcome of the match. I’m not saying I necessarily win that match, for sure, but it had an influence on what was happening after those breaks.

“I rate him a lot. I think he’s a brilliant player. I think he’s great for the game. But I have zero time for that stuff at all, and I lost respect for him.”

Asked about Murray’s comments, world number three Tsitsipas said: “If there’s something that he has to tell me, we should speak [just] the two of us to understand what went wrong.

“I don’t think I broke any rules. I played by the guidelines, how everything is. I think it’s clear that I took my clothes with me when I left the court.

“That’s the amount of time it takes for me to change my clothes and to walk back to the court takes a little bit of time.

“I don’t know how my opponent feels when I’m out there playing the match. It’s not really my priority.

“As far as I’m playing by the rules and sticking to what the ATP says is fair, then the rest is fine.”

Leave a Comment