What Stefanos Tsitsipas said to Arthur Fils at the net amid crowd boos after losing to him at the Italian Open

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Stefanos Tsitsipas has bowed out of the Italian Open in the third round, having fallen to Arthur Fils.

Tsitsipas wants to see a switch in his mentality, with the ATP number 19 having won his first match at the Italian Open against Alexandre Muller.

He defeated the Frenchman 6-2, 7-6(7-3) in Rome, but the 18th seed then fell to another Frenchman in Fils in his next match.

Fils came from behind to secure a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 win and clinch a last 16 spot, having beaten Tallon Griekspoor in round two.

Both Tsitsipas and Fils had received byes in round one of the tournament, which is the latest ATP Masters 1000 event in the calendar.

What Stefanos Tsitsipas said to Arthur Fils at the net after Italian Open loss

It was an entertaining battle between the pair, and it certainly wasn’t without drama, with a lengthy discussion taking place at the net immediately after its conclusion.

Speaking on court after his win, Fils said of Tsitsipas: “I like him. He’s a great guy. A great champion. It was a bit tight in the middle of the second set.

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“He went for my body. It’s part of the game. There’s nothing wrong with it. I tried to find a way to fight. I found this kind of excuse to go and to fight.

“Ok, he told me at the end he wasn’t going for my body. I told him I know it. It’s ok. It’s all good. I just needed to find a way to fight.”

Arthur Fils extends winning run over Stefanos Tsitsipas after Italian Open clash

Tsitsipas hasn’t been at his best in recent times, with the two-time Grand Slam finalist gradually dropping down the ATP rankings.

In contrast, Fils has been flying high on the court and flying up the rankings, with the 20-year-old now in a career-high rank of 14th.

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And he certainly holds the edge over Tsitsipas in their career history, having now won all four of their meetings.

The young Frenchman is already a three-time ATP champion, boasting success in Lyon, Hamburg and Tokyo, with two of those successes coming on clay.