Stefanos Tsitsipas' dog accused of attacking 71-year-old man

An elderly man in has claimed that he needed stitches after being attacked by the family dog of . The man, 71, was allegedly attacked by the dog outside a cafe in the Athens suburb of Vouliagmeni on Monday. He said that he was left bleeding after the incident and that he needed to go to hospital for treatment.

The man, whose name has not been published, told Greek news agency NewsIT: "It felt like a bear bite. It ripped through my trousers. Blood was flowing and I fell to the sidewalk." He was assisted by members of the public, who helped him to his feet and took him to hospital where he received stitches.

He also claimed that he had identified Tsitsipas' mother, Julia, as the owner of the dog. He added: "We know them. They've lived in Vouliagmeni for years. She took the dog away and swore at me."

A police statement said the man had filed an official complaint against Julia, who represented the Soviet Union as a tennis player in the 1980s. Tsitsipas, meanwhile, is a long-time resident of Monaco having lived in the principality for a number of years.

The man from Greece will be looking to avoid further distractions ahead of the Italian Open, where he is seeking a return to winning ways. He suffered an early exit in Madrid, losing to Lorenzo Musetti in the second round.

Tsitsipas recently dropped out of the world's top 15 for the first time in seven years and has struggled to go deep at any of the clay tournaments this season. After his defeat to Musetti, .

"I have no confidence in my forehand, something very strange, something I'm not used to," he said. "My shots are normal, they're not what they used to be. It's frustrating.

"Training was incredible, everything was going well but I'm looking for something better. I hope to feel like I'm doing something with the ball when it comes to me.

"Now I feel like I'm not doing enough. It comes out very flat, without enough rotation, without enough power. It's frustrating not being able to correct that."

Tsitsipas will face a qualifier in his opening match at the Italian Open on Friday. He reached the quarter-finals of last year's event in Rome, where he was beaten by eventual runner-up Nicolas Jarry.