There have already been plenty of breaks and boos through the first two rounds of the 2021 men’s US Open tennis tournament.
World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas has been at the centre of controversy after taking a good number of extended breaks during his first two matches. Those have caused quite a stir among his peers on the ATP Tour – notably Andy Murray – as well as fans, who have begun to boo the Greek for his breaks.
Meanwhile, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic also cried foul about supposed ‘boos’ he heard in his first-round match.
Read on below as SBOTOP rounds up the big news items on the ATP Tour after the first few rounds of the US Open.
Tsitsipas through to third round with help of bathroom breaks
Stefanos Tsitsipas is through to the third round of the US Open after beating Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-0.
However, Tsitsipas was showered with boos by the crowd after taking a bathroom break, which has been the big US Open 2021 news early on.
Tsitsipas similarly took some long breaks, including two to the bathroom, in the middle of his tough first-round match against Andy Murray, which Tsitsipas eventually won in five sets.
After the match, Murray criticised Tsitsipas for what he deemed were unsportsmanlike tactics and added that he had ‘lost respect’ for the Greek.
“It’s just disappointing because I feel it influenced the outcome of the match,” Murray told reports after the match. “I’m not saying I necessarily win that match, for sure, but it had 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.”
World No. 4 and Olympic gold medallist Alexander Zverev also joined Murray in calling out Tsitsipas’ extended breaks, saying “it’s not normal.”
Despite the criticism, Tsitsipas again headed for the toilet after losing the third set against Mannarino and was booed by the crowd upon his return. Tsitsipas has defended himself by pointing out that he is not breaking any rules with his breaks.
“If I break a rule, sure, I’m guilty. I agree; I’m not doing something right,” Tsitsipas said. “If I’m staying within the guidelines, then what’s the issue?”
Tsitsipas will face teenager Carlos Alcaraz Garfia in the third round.
Djokovic irked by fans’ ‘boos’ in first-round win
Speaking of boos, Novak Djokovic also received them during his first-round win against Danish teenager Holger Rune – or so he thinks.
“I didn’t know what they were chanting honestly. I thought they were booing,” Djokovic said.
“I don’t know, it was not ideal atmosphere for me to tell you that. But I’ve been in these particular atmospheres before, so I knew how to handle it.”
But the ‘boos’ Djokovic thought he was hearing could have been the crowd chanting ‘Rune’ in support of the Danish teen.
Rune gave Djokovic a bit of a scare after he won the second set in a tiebreaker. However, Djokovic regained control and dominated the next two sets to win the match.
Djokovic, who is looking to make history by becoming the first male tennis player since Rod Laver in 1969 to win all four Grand Slams in the same year, will now go on to face Tallon Griekspoor in the second round.
Two top-10 seeds ousted in first two rounds
Djokovic and Tsitsipas are two of the eight top-ten seeds still remaining in the tournament.
No. 9 seed and Olympic bronze medalist Pablo Carreno Busta was upset by unseeded Frenchman Maxime Cressy, who won their first-round match in five sets, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7).
And in the second round, No. 8 seed Casper Ruud was stunned by Botic van de Zandschulp. Ruud won the first set, but van de Zandschulp stormed back to win the next three to complete the upset.
Cressy will face Nikoloz Basilashvili in his second-round matchup, while van de Zandschulp will battle Facundo Bagnis in the third.
Meanwhile, the rest of the top 10 have looked solid thus far. No. 2 Daniil Medvedev has yet to drop a set after straight-set wins over Richard Gasquet and Dominik Koepfer. No. 4 Alexander Zverev, No. 6 Matteo Berrettini, No. 7 Denis Shapovalov, and No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz also went through to the second round in straight sets.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE TENNIS STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
