Roger Federer disagrees with Stefanos Tsitsipas about getting favors

Stefanos Tsitsipas had a rather controversial claim during his doubles final at the Miami Open when he was facing the Bryans and later during a QA session stating that top players receive privileges from chair umpires.

Why Tsitsipas thinks that Federer receives unfair privileges

Stefanos was annoyed during the final after the chair umpire Gianluca Moscarella conceded what the Greek considered a late challenge to the Bryan brothers. Eventually, the Americans lost the challenge, but Tsitsipas had a heated discussion with the chair umpire  during the changeover for the “concession” to say: “Why are you giving them privileges like you do with Roger [Federer]?”

Then the Greek elaborated his statement during a QA session on Twitter saying

“I think players that have been doing really well over the years, players that are generally much respected in the tennis world have privileges when it comes to certain rules and umpire decisions.

I felt this couple of times when playing these guys and I think it’s a bit unfair.”

I am currently 10.000 feet above the ground and have three more hours to feel bored.

Anything you want to ask me? #AskTsitsipas

— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@StefTsitsipas) March 31, 2019

Why Roger Federer disagrees with Stefanos

During his press conference following the final against John Isner, Roger commented

“I think with the umpires and the top guys on the main courts, I think the umpires know the top guys, and they know their problems, or they know how they behave, or they know how they are gonna react, so they know what acting stupid and silly means and what normal is. I think because we know each other very well, I think it’s easier for the umpire to handle a top guy that they know over an up-and-coming guy like Tsitsipas or a young guy. And that sometimes gets lost in translation, and maybe bad mistakes can happen.

But I don’t see preferential treatment, to be honest. There shouldn’t be. If I get warnings, and I do get warnings sometimes, I got one just recently, maybe Dubai, I don’t know, whatever it’s normal.

So they should just, based on what happened, take those decisions, and I really feel, how do you say, the umpires do that. I’m sorry that Stefanos feels that way.”