Stefanos Tsitsipas under fire for 'Break Point' comments about Nick Kyrgios
The Greek responded to a clip from the series, which some on social media criticized as racist, in a lengthy Facebook post on Friday.
THIS WEEK ON GRASS: In Halle, Stefanos Tsitsipas was upset in the second round by Nicolas Jarry.
Stefanos Tsitsipas apologized Friday for comments he made in Netflix's "Break Point" tennis docuseries about Nick Kyrgios, which some on social media had criticized as racist.
The last five episodes of the first season of the series, which chronicles the 2022 tennis year, were released on the worldwide streaming service on Wednesday, and Tsitsipas' critique of Kyrgios during the episodes filmed at Wimbledon quickly went viral.
“He has brought that NBA basketball attitude to tennis,” Tsitsipas tells the cameras. “I would describe it as an uneducated approach of playing tennis. But you know tennis is a gentleman’s sport, it’s all about respect. We are not playing basketball.”
In a lengthy Facebook post on Friday, the Greek attempted to clarify those comments, saying that he “deeply regrets any hurt or offense” caused by them, and alleged that the meaning of his words were misconstrued.
"I want to address a matter that has been weighing heavily on my heart; an unfortunate misunderstanding that has a distorted picture of my intentions," Tsitsipas wrote. "It has come to my attention that some individuals have misinterpreted my comments regarding Nick Kyrgios, labeling him as uneducated and accusing him of bringing a basketball mentality into tennis, insinuating racism where none exists."
Tsitsipas added that his words “were not meant to undermine [Kyrgios'] intelligence or abilities," while also noting his appreciation for the game of basketball.
"It was an attempt to highlight the dynamic and captivating nature of his approach to the game [of tennis]," he said.
Kyrgios responded to the controversy with his own social media statement later, saying in part: “We’ve had some crazy battles and I know deep down you like my brand of tennis … we are all good.”
Episodes six and seven of the first season of "Break Point" are centered on last year's Wimbledon fortnight, during which Kyrgios and Tsitsipas played a contentious third-round match. In a four-set loss, Tsitsipas hit a ball into the crowd, for which he later apologized, and admitted to trying to hit Kyrgios on purpose during a rally. The Aussie, meanwhile, had a fiery exchange with the chair umpire, asking why Tsitsipas wasn't defaulted for the incident. Both men were fined by the tournament for their conduct in the match.
In their respective post-match press conferences, the two continued to trade barbs: Tsitsipas called Kyrgios a "bully" who "has a very evil side to him," while Kyrgios said that Tsitsipas isn't well-liked in the locker room and has "some serious issues."