Alexander Zverev has accused Stefanos Tsitsipas of behaving like a junior and disrespecting his opponents by taking such long bathroom breaks during matches.
Andy Murray was furious when Tsitsipas was off court for around eight minutes ahead of the final set in their thrilling first-round match at the US Open on Monday.
Tsitsipas also required a medical timeout for a foot problem during a pulsating contest that the world number three won 2-6 7-6 (9-7) 3-6 6-3 6-4 at Flushing Meadows.
Murray said he had lost respect for the 23-year-old, who defended his lengthy spell off court and stated he had played by the rules.
The Brit was in no mood to back down on Tuesday, however, as he tweeted: "Fact of the day. It takes Stefanos Tsitsipas twice as long to go the bathroom as it takes Jeff Bezos to fly into space. Interesting."
Zverev appeared to accuse Tsitsipas of communicating with his father and coach, Apostolos, when he took a break during their semi-final showdown at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati this month.
Tsitsipas responded by denying having ever used his phone during such a situation, describing the accusation as "absolutely ridiculous."
However, world number four Zverev had Tsitsipas in his sights once again after beating Sam Querrey 6-4 7-5 6-2 in New York.
The German said: "It's happening every match. It's not normal. It happened to me in the French Open, to Novak at the finals [of the] French Open. I think Hamburg against [Filip] Krajinovic he was complaining, against me in Cincinnati was ridiculous, and now here again. I think players are catching up with that.
"He's the number three player in the world. I do not believe he needs to do that, because if you're top three in the world, you're one of the best in the sport.
"These kind of things happen at junior events, at Futures, at Challengers maybe, but not when you're top three in the world.
"You're allowed to do that but it's like an unwritten rule with players. I have been breaking rackets, I go insane sometimes and all that but one thing I'm very proud of, and I'll keep for the rest of my career, is I win and I lose by playing tennis on the tennis court."
Zverev reiterated his grievance with Tsitsipas having taken such a lengthy break during their meeting in Cincinnati.
"I didn't ask that question in Cincinnati, which I was very surprised at, because I was going to answer that very truthfully and honestly," he said.
"He's gone for 10-plus minutes. His dad is texting on the phone. He comes out and all of a sudden his tactic completely changed. It's just not me but everybody saw it. The whole game plan changes.
"I'm like, either it's a very magical place he goes to or there is communication there. But I also don't want to disrespect him. He is a great player, he is number three in the world for a reason. He's winning tournaments and playing incredible tennis this year for a reason, so it's not only that.
"But I do believe, and Andy said it as well, there is some level of respect that everybody needs to have between players.
"I feel like sometimes - or he might just go to the toilet. We don't know that, that's also possible. But it just happens too often, I would say."
France will be without N'Golo Kante for their World Cup qualifier against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday, Didier Deschamps has confirmed.
The Chelsea midfielder aggravated an ankle injury during the 1-1 draw with Liverpool at the weekend.
Sitting top of Group D with seven points from three games, Les Bleus resume their World Cup qualifying campaign with a trio of fixtures in early September.
However, the reigning world champions will be unable to call upon Kante for the first of those, which takes place in Strasbourg.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, head coach Deschamps said: "Kante will be too soon for tomorrow.
"There are too many risks; he will not be used tomorrow."
Meanwhile, Hugo Lloris believes Kylian Mbappe will not be bothered by the recent speculation linking him with a blockbuster move to Real Madrid.
The forward has made a bright start to the Ligue 1 season with three goals in Paris Saint-Germain's first four games, including a brace in Sunday's 2-0 win over Reims as Lionel Messi made his debut for the club.
"As you could see, he was very focused in the last game. He is very professional," Lloris said.
"He was decisive in the first four matches. It shows that he respects his club and is ready to perform.
"There is a lot of agitation around him, it's normal, but he knows how to make the difference to help the French team."
France are looking to bounce back having exited Euro 2020 in the round of 16 following defeat to Switzerland on penalties.
Lloris revealed that following positive discussions within the camp, he and his team-mates are hungry to make amends with a fresh approach.
"We highlighted what was less successful, but there were also good things –especially in the group stage – which were quite successful," the goalkeeper added.
"We switch to something new, fresh. Everyone must participate in giving a new impetus.
"We are positive. We have very little time to prepare for the match, but there is desire."
Fabio Jakobsen celebrated his 25th birthday in style as he edged a mass sprint to claim his third stage win of the 2021 Vuelta a Espana.
Tuesday's 180 kilometre stretch from Laredo to Santo Cruz de Bezana was always expected to provide a frantic finish and so it proved.
Deceuninck – Quick Step rider Jakobsen was dropped by the peloton with around 60km remaining, yet recovered brilliantly with the help of his team-mates and launched his sprint to perfection at the end of stage 16.
Jakobsen held off a late surge by UAE-Team Emirates' Matteo Trentin, who eventually finished in third, with Jordi Meeus taking second place.
"A birthday is always a good day but I'm over the moon with this win," Jakobsen said. "I think what we saw today was the Wolfpack.
"I was dropped on a climb, the guys waited for me and brought me back. I won the race but it was all because of them.
"The only thing I can do is do a short, fast sprint, and they did everything else today. I'm never confident but I always try – because if you don't try then you never win."
The drama was not just consigned to the finish, as a crash took out 15 riders earlier in the day, including red jersey contenders Enric Mas, Guillaume Martin and Giulio Ciccone.
Trek - Segafredo rider Ciccone, who was positioned 12th overall at the start of the day, attempted to continue but had to withdraw.
There was no change in terms of the general classification standings as Odd Christian Eiking finished safely in the peloton.
With four stages to go ahead of Sunday's conclusion in Santiago de Compostela, Martin trails Eiking by 54 seconds and Primoz Roglic is one minute and 36s behind.
STAGE RESULT
1. Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck – Quick Step) 04:08:57
2. Jordi Meeus (BORA - hansgrohe) same time
3. Matteo Trentin (UAE-Team Emirates) same time
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Odd Christian Eiking (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 64:06:47
2. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) +0:54
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +1:36
Points Classification
1. Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 250
2. Matteo Trentin (UAE-Team Emirates) 123
3. Magnus Cort Nielsen (EF Education–Nippo) 114
King of the Mountains
1. Romain Bardet (Team DSM) 50
2. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) 31
3. Rafal Majka (UAE-Team Emirates) 29
What's next?
A whole different challenge awaits on Wednesday with a classic climb of the Lagos de Covadonga. The gruelling stage includes a climb almost 8km long with slopes reaching an inclination of 14 per cent
Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips has penned a new long-term contract with Jurgen Klopp's side.
Phillips came to the fore last term, appearing 20 times for the Reds in all competitions as they suffered a defensive crisis with Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk both long-term absentees.
The 24-year-old played an integral part in Liverpool's Champions League qualification, starting 15 top-flight games and keeping seven clean sheets to secure a third-place finish.
Indeed, the Liverpool defender impressed as a stand-in and only lost two Premier League games in which he started, boasting a remarkable 73.3 per cent win rate that dropped to 39.1 per cent without him.
Phillips, who now sees Klopp's defensive options return to take his starting place, recorded a league-high 7.92 successful duels per 90 minutes among defenders and ranked sixth on the list for most duels contested per 90 minutes (13.05).
On signing his new deal, he told the club's official website: "Obviously after last year, it’s really nice to get that reward from the club.
"I’m happy to be sticking around and being available if the club need to call on me again. I’m excited for the next chapter and just to see what that brings.
"It is nice that the club has shown me that recognition and hopefully I can bring more of the same with whatever opportunities come my way."
Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have followed Gerard Pique in taking pay cuts to allow Barcelona to register Sergio Aguero and reduce financial concerns.
Lionel Messi could not be signed to a new deal because of spiralling costs at the Catalan club and, with no signs of improvement, Barca risked not being able to register new signings Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia and Aguero.
However, after Pique agreed to a salary reduction and deferral of payments, Ronald Koeman's side confirmed they were able to register Depay, Garcia and Rey Manaj.
Alba and Busquets have now, too, agreed to alterations to the terms of their contracts.
Both players will collect reduced wages for this season and deferred payments for the rest of their deals, with also Sergi Roberto reported to be negotiating changes to his terms.
The agreements with Busquets and Alba mean cash-strapped Barca can now register Aguero, who is expected to be out injured until the middle of October, while avoiding complications with financial fair play regulations.
Left-back Alba created the second most chances at the club last term in LaLiga (53), while Busquets led the way for tackles and interceptions while also completing the second most passes.
Juventus have signed PSV midfielder Mohamed Ihattaren and loaned the teenager to Sampdoria.
Ihattaren has signed a four-year deal with Juve having arrived for a fee reported to be in the region of €5-6million.
The 19-year-old playmaker, who had less than a year remaining on his PSV contract, must wait for his Bianconeri debut after he was allowed to join Serie A rivals Sampdoria for the remainder of the season.
Ihattaren made his PSV debut aged 16 and went on to score 10 goals in 74 appearances for the Eredivisie side.
PSV director of football John de Jong said: "Mohamed has gone through ups and downs in the last few years. As a young prospect, his career got off to a bright start but it has taken a turn and he has not fulfilled his potential for various reasons.
"It is a great pity, in particular for Mohamed himself. We are happy for Mohamed that he has made a move to Italy and hope he will live up to his potential."
Radu Dragusin has also made the move from Juve to Sampdoria for the rest of the campaign.
Juventus earlier brought Moise Kean back to the club from Everton on a two-year loan with an obligation to buy following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United.
Kean returns to Turin two years after the forward left for the Premier League in a £27million (€31.5m) move, having signed a five-year deal with the Toffees.
Juve will pay €7m (£6m) for the striker's loan spell, payable over two years. They will be obliged to re-sign him on a permanent basis for a fee that could reach €31m (£26.6m) if certain objectives are met.
Virgil van Dijk was flattered by Erling Haaland's belief the Netherlands captain is "the best defender" in the world.
The pair are set to face off when the Oranje travel to Norway for their 2022 World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.
An intriguing duel should challenge both players, with Haaland full of praise for Van Dijk when he addressed the media on Monday.
"I think he is the best defender. I think quite a few others in the room agree with me on that," the Borussia Dortmund forward said.
"He is fast, strong and smart, and those are three important things you must have."
Those comments were on Tuesday put to Van Dijk, who replied: "Did he say that? That's nice of him."
The Liverpool man is relishing his return to the international stage, having missed Euro 2020 due to injury.
"I'm incredibly happy that I'm here again, with the guys, working towards a very important game," Van Dijk said.
"Everyone is sharp, looking forward to playing. Everyone is focused, which is great to see."
This will also be the Netherlands' first game since the return of Louis van Gaal, who is back for a third spell in charge.
Norway are tied with the visitors on six points from three games in Group G, one shy of early leaders Turkey.
Andy Murray has doubled down on his criticism of Stefanos Tsitsipas by joking that his US Open conqueror's bathroom breaks take twice as long as Jeff Bezos' trips to space.
World number three Tsitsipas beat Murray 2-6 7-6 (9-7) 3-6 6-3 6-4 in a thrilling five-set battle in the opening round at Flushing Meadows on Monday.
The opening-day showdown was overshadowed by Tsitsipas' controversial bathroom break ahead of the decisive fifth set – the Greek star spending around eight minutes off court, much to the frustration of Murray.
Tsitsipas also required a medical timeout for an apparent foot problem after losing the third set to 2012 champion Murray, who was far from impressed following almost five hours of action.
Speaking after the match, Murray – who failed to progress beyond the first round of the US Open for the first time in 15 appearances – said he had lost respect for Tsitsipas and suggested his opponent had deliberately attempted to disrupt his flow.
Tsitsipas defended his lengthy break, insisting he had played by the rules and that he would speak to Murray face-to-face should the Briton wish to take the issue further.
Rather than resolving the matter, however, Murray aimed another dig at Tsitsipas with a sarcastic message on his personal Twitter account on Tuesday, comparing the stoppage to the 10 minutes and 10 seconds it took billionaire Bezos to fly to space last month.
"Fact of the day. It takes Stefanos Tsitipas (sic) twice as long to go the bathroom as it takes Jeff Bazos (sic) to fly into space. Interesting," he posted.
With the win over Murray, Tsitsipas became the 10th active player to defeat all four members of the 'Big Four' – Murray, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Tsitsipas will meet world number 44 Adrian Mannarino in the second round on Wednesday.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has signed a new contract with the Premier League club.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has signed a new contract with the Premier League club.
The England midfielder, who had two years left on his previous deal, has agreed to an extension that will reportedly run until the end of the 2024-25 season.
Henderson has spent 10 years at Liverpool since joining from Sunderland and captained Jurgen Klopp's side to Champions League glory in 2019 before leading them to a first top-flight title in 30 years in 2019-20.
"I'm obviously very honoured and proud to continue the journey I've already been on here," Henderson told Liverpool's website.
"It's amazing to finally get it done and just concentrate on looking forward and what the future may hold.
"I'm in a different place, of course, as a player and as a person, from when I first walked in. I've learned and grown a lot over my time here, and I've got to thank a lot of people for that.
"I've loved every minute of it; even when I look back at the tough times, I was still enjoying being a part of this football club. The longer I can do that, the better for me really. I want to be here as long as possible, I've always said that.
"To continue this journey is incredible for me and my family, and I hope the fans and the club feel the same way."
Henderson, 31, has made 394 appearances in all competitions for the Reds, winning five trophies in total in his decade at Anfield.
He was named the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year after guiding Liverpool to Premier League glory in 2019-20.
"Every year is the same, every year is the biggest challenge, the biggest season ahead. I feel as hungry as ever," he said.
"I feel as hungry as I did when I first walked in 10 years ago, to prove to people that I deserve to be at this football club and give absolutely everything every single day for the badge, for the fans and for each other in this building.
"If we do that, I feel as though we've got a good chance of being successful."
Corbin Burnes and the Milwaukee Brewers' bullpen did their job on Monday in a 3-1 defeat of the San Francisco Giants to open a series between the National League division leaders.
The All-Star Burnes allowed four hits and a run in six innings while striking out nine, and Brad Boxberger, Devin Williams and Josh Hader held the team with MLB's best record scoreless the rest of the way.
Burnes also helped himself with an RBI single in the second inning that gave the Brewers a 2-0 lead as the Giants ran out seven pitchers to get through the evening in a bullpen game.
It was the third defeat in four games for the Giants, who lost their series in Atlanta over the weekend.
Dodgers down Braves to close on Giants
The Los Angeles Dodgers took advantage of San Francisco's defeat, moving to within 1.5 games of the NL West lead after holding on for a 5-3 victory over the Braves.
Every run in the game was scored via a home run, with the teams combining for seven of them.
Los Angeles started things off with solo homers from Max Muncy, Will Smith and Mookie Betts and a two-run drive by Corey Seager before Atlanta answered with longballs from Jorge Soler, Freddie Freeman and Adam Duvall, but that trio of solo shots was not enough to get the Braves over the top.
The Tampa Bay Rays won their eighth game in a row and 12th from their past 13, defeating the Boston Red Sox 6-1 as Wander Franco hit a two-run single in his final trip to the plate to extend his on-base streak to 30 games.
The only other players aged 20 or younger to have an on-base run at least that long are Hall of Famers Frank Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Mel Ott and Arky Vaughan.
The New York Yankees fell seven games back of the Rays with an 8-7 loss to the Los Angeles Angels in Corey Kluber's first start since May 25.
The former Cy Young winner served up a grand slam to Jack Mayfield as the Angels took an early lead and Shohei Ohtani later added his 42nd home run of the season, but it was Juan Lagares who won it for Los Angeles with an RBI single in the eighth after Giancarlo Stanton had levelled the game with a two-run homer the previous inning.
Punchless Reds lose again
Kyle Farmer went two-for-four with a double and a home run but the rest of the Cincinnati Reds lineup were zero-for-26 in a 3-1 loss to Jon Lester and the St Louis Cardinals.
The Reds have dropped three in a row and are clinging to a half-game lead for the second NL wild card spot.
Vladdy doubles up
Vladimir Guerrero hit his 37th and 38th home runs of the season while bumping his RBI total to 95 as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-3 at Rogers Centre.
Monday's results
Minnesota Twins 3-2 Detroit Tigers
St Louis Cardinals 3-1 Cincinnati Reds
Philadelphia Phillies 7-4 Washington Nationals
Toronto Blue Jays 7-3 Baltimore Orioles
Tampa Bay Rays 6-1 Boston Red Sox
Texas Rangers 4-3 Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Angels 8-7 New York Yankees
San Diego Padres 7-5 Arizona Diamondbacks
Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 San Francisco Giants
Houston Astros 4-3 Seattle Mariners
Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 Atlanta Braves
Braves at Dodgers
The Atlanta Braves (70-60) send veteran Charlie Morton to the mound as they try to bounce back from a series-opening loss against Walker Buehler and the Los Angeles Dodgers (83-49)
Danny Green believes the Philadelphia 76ers without Ben Simmons might cause defensive issues amid uncertainty over his future with the NBA franchise.
Simmons' future in Philadelphia is up in the air after struggling in the 76ers' shock Eastern Conference semi-final exit at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA playoffs.
The three-time All-Star – an elite defender whose shooting problems were laid bare during the postseason – has been at the centre of trade rumours involving the Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Portland are a team of particular interest, given reports the 76ers are eyeing their All-Star Damian Lillard.
Green, who signed a new deal to return to Philadelphia for the 2021-22 season, was asked what a Simmons-less 76ers would look like.
"That's going to be tough to say man because we don't know what we're going to get back for him," Green told Howard Beck on the Crossover podcast.
"We may get a point guard, we may get wings. That may change a lot: I might be playing with a different type of point guard, I might be playing with different types of wings, I might be coming off the bench. I don't know who we’re going to get."
Former number one draft pick Simmons had no fourth-quarter field-goal attempts in his last four games of the playoffs last season. He is the only NBA player in the last 20 seasons to have four consecutive postseason games with no field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter during a season in which he was an All-Star.
After four seasons in the league, there has been no improvement from the 24-year-old Simmons in one fundamental area – shooting.
An elite defender and creator, debate around Simmons centres on his offence or lack thereof, with the 76ers handicapped by his unwillingness to shoot.
Simmons' field-goal percentage has regressed, dropping from 58.0 in 2019-20 to 55.7 this season – he only managed worse in his 2017-18 rookie campaign (54.5).
He averaged just 10.1 field-goal attempts in 2020-21 – a career low, which dropped to 7.9 in the playoffs. It is the same story with his scoring as it dropped to a career worst 14.3 points per game and 11.9 in the postseason – both career lows.
Then there is Simmons and free throws. He was exposed by rival teams as they regularly sent him to the line, with the Melbourne-born guard making just 25 of 73 shots in the 2020-21 playoffs. His 34.2 free-throw percentage is the lowest ever in a single postseason.
Despite those liabilities, Green said losing Simmons would force some adjustments.
"And also defensively, I probably become the primary defender," he said. "Not saying it's an issue or a problem for me, but we have one less wing defender with him.
"Now it's me and Matisse [Thybulle]. Not saying that the other guys don't play defence, but you talk about our main defenders. That was a big part of that and a big part of our defence. … Ben, you know, was DPOY [Defensive Player of the Year] for us this year. …
"We thought Ben was able to guard one through five and set the tone for us. If he's gone, that changes a lot not just offensively but defensively as well for me."
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