‘You perpetuate propaganda machines’: Australian Open star Tennys Sandgren’s bizarre blast at media after backlash over tweets
Unheralded American reads statement to stunned reporters amid controversy regarding political views, after his shock run at Australian Open ends in quarter-finals
Newly-minted star Tennys Sandgren lashed out the “dehumanising” media on Wednesday after wiping his Twitter account following a backlash over his political views and links to right-wing activists.
The unheralded American, a devout Christian, came from nowhere to make the Australian Open quarter-finals, where he crashed out to South Korea’s Chung Hyeon in three sets.
His deep run at the tournament sparked scrutiny of his life, including his political stance and his seeming support of the alt-right movement in the United States.
Among his tweets was one where Sandgren appeared to back a debunked online conspiracy in 2016 which linked Hillary Clinton to a supposed child sex abuse ring at a Washington pizzeria.
He also retweeted a video from white nationalist Nicholas Fuentes.
After facing an online backlash, he decided to wipe the slate clean, deleting years of social media postings.