Stefanos Tsitsipas pleaded with an umpire on Wednesday to have a fan booted from his match, accusing her of making buzzing noises before he served.
Tsitsipas, the No. 4 ranked player in the world, went up to the umpire to say that there was “a person imitating a bee” behind him.
The 25-year-old didn’t realize it was a person making the noise at first – at one point, he was waving his racket in the air, attempting to fight off the bee that wasn’t actually there.
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece exchanges words with fans after returning a shot to Ben Shelton of the United States during their match at the Western & Southern Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 16, 2023, in Mason, Ohio. (Aaron Doster/Getty Images)
Eventually, he realized the noise was coming from the seats behind him.
“It’s a buzz right before I serve,” he said.
The umpire said he would “take care of it,” and Tsitsipas went to a group of people behind him to find out who the culprit was.
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece serves during his second-round match of the National Bank Open, part of the Hologic ATP Tour, at Sobeys Stadium on August 9, 2023, in Toronto. (Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
One fan snitched right away, pointing at a woman in the front row. Even his opponent, Ben Shelton, came over and asked what was going on.
“I know they’re supporting the [other player],” Tsitsipas said to the umpire.
“I want her out. She needs to go,” he said.
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Tsitsipas went over to the fan in question and they spoke for several minutes, but it’s not known what was said.
He was facing American player Shelton at the Western & Southern Open, also known as the Cincinnati Masters.
Tsitsipas won, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2), but then lost in the Round of 16 to Hubert Hurkacz of Poland.
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece serves to Ben Shelton of the United States during their match at the Western & Southern Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 16, 2023, in Mason, Ohio. (Aaron Doster/Getty Images)
He lost to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final in January.
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