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A shocking incident occurred at the 2026 ATP Madrid Open when Stefanos Tsitsipas launched a drastic verbal attack on his father and coach Apostolos Tsitsipas in the opening match against American Patrick Kypson on Thursday, April 23.
Although the 80th-ranked Greek eventually recovered with a 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 win over Patrick Kypson, fans continued to talk about Tsitsipas’ dark side, which emerged again on the Manolo Santana Stadium pitch.
What exactly did Stefanos Tsitsipas say to his father?
The incident occurred during a tense exchange after Tsitsipas lost the first set. Frustrated by his lack of rhythm and a coaching penalty from referee Marijana Veljovic, Tsitsipas directed a stream of Greek obscenities at his players’ box. Fans and cameras captured the insults that followed, with social media describing her as “Bastard, you piece of shit. Fuck off, idiot. Fuck off, idiot. Stupid.”
Oh wow, Stefanos Tsitsipas literally insulted his father during yesterday’s game.
“Bastard, you piece of shit, fuck yourself, idiot, fuck off, idiot, idiot.”
– SK (@Djoko_UTD) April 24, 2026
Footage of the incident quickly went viral on social media, with fans expressing a mix of pity for Apostolos and outrage at Stefanos.
This outburst is particularly startling considering that Tsitsipas had previously fired his father in August 2024 after a similar incident in Montreal, stating at the time that his father “wasn’t very smart in handling situations.”
However, the Greet tennis star won the match against lucky loser Kypson in two hours and 41 minutes. “I really needed this win, it definitely gives me confidence,” Tsitsipas said after the game.
“I need a little more confidence in my game. I think wins are important. And why wins are important is because they build trust and confidence that you still have it. When you go out on the pitch and you’re kind of winless, you don’t have a lot of wins under your belt, it doesn’t help to feel prepared and feel like you’ve got the best out of yourself, the maximum,” he added in the post-match presentation.
Stefanos will now face Alexander Bublik in the second round of Madrid Open play on Saturday evening.
