A defiant Tennys Sandgren has fired back at critics with "preconceived ideas" of his personal views after exiting the Australian Open at Melbourne Park.
The American world No.97 lost his quarter-final to Hyeon Chung 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 to end his dream run at Melbourne Park.
Sandgren's run from obscurity to tennis' big time this fortnight has brought the airing of his confronting politics as detailed on his Twitter account.
Among the tweets - which have subsequently been deleted - were support for wild conspiracy theories, the alt-right politics of Donald Trump and anti-gay vitriol.
The 26-year-old also revealed his disdain for all-time great Serena Williams, saying "any day Serena loses is a good day".
The 23-time major winner had her say at the start of their quarter-final, tweeting "Turns channel" as he took the court.
At his post-match press conference, Sandgren refused to answer questions around his personal views, instead reading a prepared statement suggesting a media conspiracy to "dehumanise with pen and paper and turn neighbour against neighbour".
"You seek to put people in these little boxes so that you can order the world in your already assumed preconceived ideas," he began.
"With a handful of follows and some likes on Twitter, my fate has been sealed in your minds.
"You would rather perpetuate propaganda machines instead of researching information from a host of angles and perspectives while being willing to learn, change, and grow.
"It's my job to continue on this journey with the goal of becoming the best me I can and to embody the love Christ has for me, for I answer to him and him alone."
Among Sandgren's deleted tweets was one from November 2016 where Sandgren appeared to back the debunked Pizzagate conspiracy linking then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to a non-existent child sex abuse ring at a Washington pizzeria.
Earlier this month, he retweeted a video from white nationalist Nicholas Fuentes.
Sandgren said he did not think the firestorm affected his performance against Chung, calling it an amazing experience.
"It was kind of like an extremely difficult puzzle to try to figure out. I wasn't able to figure it out, but I enjoyed trying," he said.
The Tennessee native received a standing ovation from the Rod Laver Arena crowd after his straight-sets loss to Chung, and would leave the Open to "enjoy time with my family, turn off my phone and reflect on the last two weeks".
It is unclear whether Williams, who is not defending her title at Melbourne Park after the birth of her first child in September, took issue with his politics or the personal criticism.
As a Jehovah's Witness, the 36-year-old does not vote but has previously expressed support for former president Barack Obama.
She is a UNICEF goodwill ambassador and has supported fundraising efforts for marginalised communities and anti-violence initiatives.
Sandgren's efforts in reaching the last eight - having never previously won a grand slam match - earned him a cheque for $440,000, almost doubling his career earnings and a climb into the world's top 60.
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