During their third round match at Indian Wells, the two tennis stars got into a heated exchange. But what did Fognini say to Tsitsipas and why was he upset?
Tsitsipas beats Fognini to advance at Indian Wells
Fresh from lifting the Laver Cup trophy for Team Europe, Stefanos Tsitsipas is continuing his good form at Indian Wells.
The Greek star overcame Spaniard Pedro Martinez in straight sets before meeting Fabio Fognini in the third round of the competition.
Rooney | First Official Trailer
The world no.3 trailed after one set, but battled back to a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory in two hours and four minutes.
However, it was not all plain sailing as the pair exchanged words at the end of the match.
What did Fognini say to Tsitsipas during the heated exchange?
Soon after losing the first set, Tsitsipas began to claw his way back into the match with some excellent shots.
However, the Italian wasn’t happy about something, and let the umpire know about it.
Fognini complained Tsitsipas was receiving illegal coaching but the complaint was overruled and the umpire took no further action.
The incident clearly annoyed Fognini, who still looked upset at the end of the match.
After Tsitsipas sealed victory, the two met at the net before getting into a heated exchange.
It appeared Fognini was still irked by the earlier incident and frustrated he lost momentum after taking the first set.
He evidently wanted to let the Greek know he wasn’t impressed by his behaviour and believed it had swung the match in his favour.
Tsitsipas appeared to plead his innocence but Fognini wasn’t having any of it.
The Greek has been involved in other controversial moments recently
This incident comes just weeks after controversy at the US Open.
During their match Andy Murray accused Tsitsipas of taking a longer bathroom break in a bid to disrupt the Scot’s rhythm.
The Greek received medical treatment on his left foot after losing the third set.
He subsequently went to the bathroom after winning the fourth set.
Murray complained about how long he was taking, but no action was taken.
Tsitsipas went on to win the contest 2-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in 4 hours, 49 minutes.
Murray ‘loses respect’ for Tsitsipas
Afterwards, Murray expressed annoyance at his opponent.
“It’s just disappointing because I feel it influenced the outcome of the match,” Murray said. “I’m not saying I necessarily win that match for sure, but it had an influence on what was happening.”
Tsitsipas, however, protested his innocence, saying: “I don’t think I broke any rules.”
He now faces 22nd seed Alex de Minaur in the next round at Indian Wells.
