"I lost all respect for him": Andy Murray criticized the way Stefanos Tsitsipas, who beat him after a tough battle on Monday in the 1st round of the US Open, knowingly abused breaks aiming to break his rhythm.

“He abused all these rules that allow you to break the rhythm of the match.

It is no coincidence that he took all these breaks when I was about to serve or when I put him in difficulty, as on his serve at 0-30, when I was leading two sets to one… He knows very well this he did, I lost all respect for him, ”he said very bitter.

"He knows very well what he did"

The 34-year-old Scotsman had just given in after almost five hours on the court Arthur Ashe 2-6, 7-6 (9/7), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and was holding on after having to repeatedly yelled "this is a fucking joke!"

»By putting his things away.

During the meeting, Tsitsipas took several breaks to have his right arch taken care of by a physiotherapist, change his racket or go to the bathroom and in the locker room to change after the 4th set.

A long absence of seven minutes.

When you have a top seed on the ropes 💯 @ andy_murray |

#USOpen pic.twitter.com/hcGY1kFkLD

- US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 30, 2021

“When you play a tough game like this and stop for seven or eight minutes, you cool yourself down.

You can mentally prepare for it as much as you want, but the point is that it affects you physically, many times during the game, ”said Murray.

“It's just disappointing because I think it affected the end result,” said Murray, who barely greeted his opponent at the net after the converted match point.

"I don't think I broke any rules"

"If he has something to tell me, we should both talk about it."

I don't think I broke any rules, ”the Greek, ten years younger, defended himself at a press conference, in a phlegmatic tone.

Seven minutes, “that's the time it takes for me to change.

And getting back on the court takes a bit of time.

As far as I know, we are allowed to take two toilet breaks in a five-set match, ”he argued.

Murray concluded by pleading for a rule change he deemed "absurd".

“Because it's not good for the sport, for the fans.

I don't think that's a good image returned by the players either.

"

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