Daniil Medvedev, Russian tennis star, saved his Wimbledon semifinal match against Carlos Alcaraz by yelling angrily at the umpire.
When the umpire ruled that Medvedev did not return a drop shot that bounced twice, he lost service and subsequently failed to serve out the first set of the match, infuriating Medvedev.
The fifth seed lost it all at the decision, yelling obscenities at the umpire and causing the match to be postponed while the tournament referee and supervisor were summoned to the court.
Despite receiving a warning for “unsportsmanlike conduct” at the All England Club prior to the match, Medvedev was ultimately not dismissed.
‘If you use a swear word you’re going to get a code violation and a warning and a fine, but if you verbally abuse the umpire, that’s when there’s a question mark,’ former British No.1 Tim Henman told the BBC. ‘It could be a default.
‘Just from where we’re sitting to see the umpire get down off the umpire’s chair, to see the umpire and the supervisor to go on the court, that doesn’t happen unless something has gone on.’
Medvedev’s bad behaviour towards the umpire in the Wimbledon semi-final is ironic, given he recently struck up a friendship with the legendary John McEnroe.
McEnroe was notorious for his on-court behaviour and various fights with tennis umpires, famously yelling, ‘You cannot be serious’ at Wimbledon in 1981.
‘John is a great guy,’ Medvedev said earlier this week. ‘We know each other little. He’s a great guy, very funny.
However, I think he has a lot of positive ideas inside of him. When he commentates, I love to listen to him.
Yeah, simply wonderful to be around him.’ After making it to the last four at the Championships the year before, Medvedev’s journey to the semi-finals in SW19 has seen him tie his career-best performance.
In the Wimbledon quarterfinals this year, the 28-year-old, who won a major at the US Open in 2021, impressively defeated world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
‘I knew if I want to beat Jannik it needs to be a tough match,’ Medvedev said after the victory. ‘He’s not anymore a guy you can beat easy.’