"Bro graduated from the Iga Swiatek school"- Fans react to Stefanos Tsitsipas allegedly distracting Taylor Fritz on match point at Australian Open

Stefanos Tsitsipas' alleged distraction tactic against Taylor Fritz at the Australian Open 2024 has left tennis fans on the internet fuming.

Tsitsipas bowed out of the Australian Open after losing to Fritz in the fourth round on Sunday, January 21. He lost the opening set to the American in a tiebreak after saving two break points. He then managed to convert one breakpoint on Fritz's serve to secure the second set and level the scores.

Fritz shifted his gears after the second set as he broke the Greek four times in the third and fourth combined to earn a spot in the quarterfinals with a 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 win.

The match, however, finished on an unusual note as Tsitsipas waved his arms near the net in an alleged attempt to distract Fritz. But he failed as the American successfully made a passing cross-court shot to seal the deal.

Tennis buffs on social media opined that it was an immature move from Tsitsipas.

"There's an underlying immaturity to Stef that I've always found off-putting. His tweets, his on court behavior, and his insufferable father. Never been able to root for him," a fan wrote on Reddit.

Another fan chimed in saying:

"No, just another glimpse at the childish behaviours we see every now and again with Tsitsipas - trying to throw off his opponent whilst looking like the biggest clown in the world for a second, sad, but comedic gold at the same time."

Reactions from Reddit

A user on X (formerly Twitter) took a jibe at Stefanos Tsitsipas by claiming that he apparently learned such tricks from Iga Swiatek, who also has been guilty of the same.

"Bro graduated from the Iga Swiatek school of whatever tf this was," the user tweeted.

Here are a few more reactions:

Reactions from Reddit to Stefanos Tsitsipas waving against Taylor Fritz

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Taylor Fritz to take on Novak Djokovic in Australian Open quarterfinals

Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz shake hands.

Taylor Fritz will have his work cut out on Wednesday, January 24, as he takes on 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarterfinals.

Fritz has yet to beat Djokovic after a total of eight duels. He first met the Serb in the year 2019 at Monte Carlos Masters and lost in straight sets. Notably, seven of those losses have come in straight sets.

At the Grand Slams, Taylor Fritz trails Djokovic 2-0. His first battle at the Majors with the World No. 1 came in 2021 at the Australian Open in the third round. He lost the match 7-6(1), 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2. He most recently lost to the Serb at the US Open 2023.