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New York - Greek eighth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas ripped into match umpire Damien Dumusois and many of his colleagues on Tuesday after making a first-round US Open exit, falling to Russia's Andrey Rublev.
Tsitsipas, an Australian Open semi-finalist who also crashed out in the first round at Wimbledon, cramped in losing 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (9/7), 7-5 after three hours and 54 minutes.
The 21-year-old Greek star, who reached a career-best fifth in the world rankings earlier this month, suffered his fourth consecutive loss this month and said after he felt wronged by the Frenchman officiating the match.
"This chair umpire, he has something against me. I don't know why," said Tsitsipas. "I feel like some of them have preferences when they are on the court."
It wasn't clear exactly what Tsitsipas meant when he yelled at Dumusois, "You're all weirdos," but he clearly wasn't happy about the idea his vocal father might be coaching him from the stands rather than simply cheering him.
"The chair umpire was very incorrect in what he was telling me during the match," Tsitsipas said. "I don't know what this chair umpire has in specific against my team but he's been complaining and telling me that my team talks all of the time when I'm out on the court playing.
"I believe he's not right, because I never hear anything of what my team says from the outside.
"My father outside, who usually does the talking, he's trying to pump me up by saying, 'Come on,' raising my confidence but not coaching, trying to boost me up."
Tsitsipas stopped short of calling it a factor in his loss but said he felt the impact.
"It's not very pleasant when you have the umpire give you warnings and time violations and coaching violations during a match," Tsitsipas said. "It can affect your thinking. It can affect your decision-making. And I sometimes believe there is nothing to give there."
Tsitsipas admitted his loss to Stan Wawrinka in the French Open fourth round, a five-set thriller that took more than five hours, still stings.
"It was difficult," he said. "It's in the back of my head somewhere. I still feel it. I still feel the pain of that loss. I'm trying to erase it from my memory and move on.
"I want to be tough mentally and I want to constantly improve, become better. I cannot let things like that get into the way."
Tsitsipas also regretted how painful his first-round Wimbledon loss to Italy's Thomas Fabbiano felt at the time.
"I'm not going to react again like in Wimbledon," he said. "I saw myself in that interview a couple of days later and it didn't feel right. My reaction was too much.
"There are far worse things in life than losses, and that day felt like someone was in the grave. I don't know why I got upset so much about that loss."
Tsitsipas admitted the grind of the season has worn on him mentally.
"I feel like I'm doing the same thing over and over again and my brain can't really take it anymore," he said. "I feel like I'm doing the same routines on the court, the same execution, the same strategies and everything. And I feel like my mind is just - I don't feel inspired. I play out on the court, and I don't feel like I'm chasing something."
What does inspire him is the memory of reaching fifth in the world.
"I was really excited when I saw that number five and my name next to it," Tsitsipas said. "Then I realised that to stay up there, I have to be very, very consistent during semi-finals, finals, winning titles, and I don't know why that got in my brain a little bit.
"First-round, second-round losses are unacceptable anymore."
Results from Tuesday's second day of the US Open tennis championships: (x denotes seed):
Men
First round
Andrey Rublev (RUS) bt Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE x8) 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (9/7), 7-5
Gilles Simon (FRA) bt Bjorn Fratangelo (USA) 5-7, 7-5, 7-5, 7-5
Matteo Berrettini (ITA x24) bt Richard Gasquet (FRA) 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
Jordan Thompson (AUS) bt Joao Sousa (POR) 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
Alexei Popyrin (AUS) bt Federico Del Bonis (ARG) 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (7/5)
Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) bt Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP x10) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Gael Monfils (FRA x13) bt Albert Ramos (ESP) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-3
Marius Copil (ROU) bt Ugo Humbert (FRA) 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (13/11), 4-6, 6-1
Denis Shapovalov (CAN) bt Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN x18) 6-1, 6-1, 6-4
Pablo Andujar (ESP) bt Kyle Edmund (GBR x30) 3-6, 7-6 (7/1), 7-5, 5-7, 6-2
Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) bt Marcel Granollers (ESP) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Alexander Bublik (KAZ) bt Santiago Giraldo (COL) 2-6, 6-0, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4
Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) bt Dominic Thiem (AUT x4) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Alexander Zverev (GER x6) bt Radu Albot (MDA) 6-1, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2
Frances Tiafoe (USA) bt Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 6-2, 6-3, 1-2, retired
Aljaz Bedene (SLO) bt Jozef Kovalík (SVK) 6-3, 6-4, 7-5
Benoît Paire (FRA x29) bt Brayden Schnur (CAN) 6-2, 6-4, 6-4
Diego Schwartzman (ARG x20) bt Robin Haase (NED) 6-3, 7-6 (8/6), 6-0
Egor Gerasimov (BLR) bt Lloyd Harris (RSA) 7-5, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/3)
Tennys Sandgren (USA) bt Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) 1-6, 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5
Vasek Pospisil (CAN) bt Karen Khachanov (RUS x9) 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
John Isner (USA x14) bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Casper Ruud (NOR) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
Cedrik-Marcel Stebe (GER) bt Filip Krajinovic (SRB) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8/6)
Marin Cilic (CRO x22) bt Martin Klizan (SVK) 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (8/6)
Fernando Verdasco (ESP x32) bt Tobias Kamke (GER) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
Chung Hyeon (KOR) bt Ernesto Escobedo (USA) 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-2
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) bt Ilya Ivashka (BLR) 6-3, 7-6 (10/8), 6-7 (4/7), 6-2
Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt John Millman (AUS) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Antoine Hoang (FRA) bt Leonardo Mayer (ARG) 3-6, 6-2, 6-7 (6/8), 6-1, 6-3
Henri Laaksonen (SUI) bt Marco Cecchinato (ITA) 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (8/6), 2-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2)
Nick Kyrgios (AUS x28) bt Steve Johnson (USA) 6-3, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4
Women
First round
Naomi Osaka (JPN x1) bt Anna Blinkova (RUS) 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2
Magda Linette (POL) bt Astra Sharma (AUS) 6-3, 6-4
Cori Gauff (USA) bt Anastasia Potapova (RUS) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
Timea Babos (HUN) bt Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP x28) 6-2, 0-0, retired
Anett Kontaveit (EST x21) bt Sara Sorribes (ESP) 6-1, 6-1
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) bt Marie Bouzková (CZE) 1-6, 7-5, 6-1
Alize Cornet (FRA) bt Jessica Pegula (USA) 6-2, 6-3
Belinda Bencic (SUI x13) bt Mandy Minella (LUX) 6-3, 6-2
Kaia Kanepi (EST) bt Tatjana Maria (GER) 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3
Julia Görges (GER x26) bt Natalia Vikhlyantseva (RUS) 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/1)
Francesca Di Lorenzo (USA) bt Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) 7-6 (7/4), 6-2
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) bt Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 6-1, 7-6 (7/2)
Kiki Bertens (NED x7) bt Paula Badosa (ESP) 6-4, 6-2
Simona Halep (ROU x4) bt Nicole Gibbs (USA) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
Taylor Townsend (USA) bt Kateryna Kozlova (UKR) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Sorana Cirstea (ROU) bt Katerina Siniakova (CZE) 7-5, 6-2
Aliona Bolsova (ESP) bt Barbora Strycova (CZE x31) 6-3, 0-6, 6-1
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x19) bt Wang Yafan (CHN) 1-6, 7-5, 6-3
Danielle Collins (USA) bt Polona Hercog (SLO) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) bt Wang Xiyu (CHN) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
Bianca Andreescu (CAN x15) bt Katie Volynets (USA) 6-2, 6-4
Kristie Ahn (USA) bt Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 7-5, 6-2
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) bt Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) 6-3, 7-6 (9/7)
Alison Riske (USA) bt Garbine Muguruza (ESP x24) 2-6, 6-1, 6-3
Elise Mertens (BEL x25) bt Jil Teichmann (SUI) 6-2, 6-2
Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) bt Diane Parry (FRA) 6-4, 6-3
Andrea Petkovic (GER) bt Mihaela Buzarnescu (ROU) 6-3, 6-4
Petra Kvitova (CZE x6) bt Denisa Allertova (CZE) 6-2, 6-4
Donna Vekic (CRO x23) bt Richel Hogenkamp (NED) 7-6 (7/4), 6-3
Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) bt Madison Brengle (USA) 6-3, 6-3
Aryna Sabalenka (BLR x9) bt Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Anna Kalinskaya (RUS) bt Sloane Stephens (USA x11) 6-3, 6-4
