Italian Open: Stefanos Tsitsipas and Arthur Fils involved in heated exchange after R3 match (WATCH)

Stefanos Tsitsipas and Arthur Fils had a heated exchange after their round of 32 match at the Italian Open. The tension escalated during the post-match handshake, prompting the umpire to intervene.

A tension flared at the ongoing Italian Open Greek tennis star Stefanois Tsitsipas had a heated confrontation with French counterpart Arthur Fils following the round of 32 clash of the men’s singles in Rome on Sunday, May 11.

Arthur Fils secured their berth in the fourth round after registering a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over World No.3 Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Grand Stand Arena. After losing the opening set, Fils made a remarkable comeback by raising his intensity and dictating play in the next two sets and qualified for the round of 16. The French player continued his good form in the ongoing ATP season, reaching the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells, Miami Open, and Monte Carlo Masters, and semifinal of Barcelona Open.

Arthur Fils faced Stefanos Tsitsipas for the second time after their faceoff at the Barcelona Open, where he received a walkover following the Greek tennis star’s withdrawal from the quarterfinals.

Tsitsipas and Fils heated exchange

The spectators at the Grand Stand Arena witnessed a heated exchange between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Arthur Fils when they were exchanging customary handshakes after the match. The incident took place after Fils hit a winning forehand to seal the victory over Tsitsipas and seemingly gave a flying kiss to the Greek tennis star.

When the two players came together for customary handshakes at the net, Tsitsipas told something to Fils which seemed to have triggered an immediate reaction from the Frenchman, leading to brief and intense verbal exchanges between the two, The argument was so intense that the chair umpire had to come down and intervene to separate the players and defuse the situation before it escalated further.

The crowd at the Grand Stand Arena responded to the situation with jeers. However, the tension between Arthur Fils and Stefanos Tsitispas diffused after the former placed his arm on the latter’s shoulder and the chair umpire lauded both players for not escalating the situation further.

Meanwhile, with a defeat over Arthur Fils, Stefanos Tsitsipas bowed out of the Italian Open 2025 in the third round, marking a disappointing end to his clay-court campaign ahead of the French Open.

Why did Arthur Fils and Stefanos Tsitsipas have a heated exchange?

The heated exchange between Arthur Fils and Stefanos Tsitsipas seemed to have stemmed from a body shot delivered by the latter earlier in the match, which the former cited as a source of motivation to make a remarkable comeback in the next two sets.

The incident took place in the first set when Tsitsipas hit a short ball to Fils, which he returned. However, at the net, the Greek tennis star struck a powerful body shot directly at Fils, who quietly went back to the baseline without reacting at the time but appeared visibly irked. Stefanos Tsitsipas apologized to the Frenchmen with his hand gesture, indicating that it was a deliberate attempt by him.

Arthur Fils will take on German tennis star and World No.2 Alexander Zverev in the round of 16 on Tuesday, May 13.