Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev got into a verbal altercation with the chair umpire in his third-round match of the Shanghai Masters. Playing against Learner Tien, Medvedev lost his cool after the chair umpire gave him a code violation for delaying serves.
The Russian star did not take the umpire’s decision kindly and snapped at him. He argued that no one gave the legendary Rafael Nadal a code violation for his lengthy service routine for the entirety of his career. Medvedev, in an aggressive tone, stated that he always waited 55 seconds for Rafa Nadal to serve and yet never found him in violation of the code.
“All my life, I’ve been serving and waiting for Rafa for 55 seconds. And you give me a code violation on the first occasion. I played Rafa 5 times, there was not one time I was ready to serve and he was ready to return. He didn’t get one time violation,” Medvedev snapped at the umpire.
Medvedev to the umpire:
“All my life, I’ve been serving & waiting for Rafa for 55 seconds. And you give me a code violation on the first occasion. I played Rafa 5 times, there was not one time I was ready to serve and he was ready to return. He didn’t get one time violation.” pic.twitter.com/J88OklJi1y— Corvath Draemir (@Archaicmind3000) October 8, 2025
This is not the first time that Medvedev has had big altercations with the chair umpire this season. In fact, in the China Open, the tournament before Shanghai, Medvedev got angry at the umpire after he was handed a punishment for ‘not trying his best.’
Struggling with cramps against Tien in the China Open, Medvedev had gone to the umpire to explain his case. In a classic Medvedev manner, he had asked the umpire: “Who are you to decide for me what’s my best effort?”
Medvedev had eventually given a walkover in that game.
Cramping Daniil Medvedev gets a code violation for “not trying his best” by the ref. pic.twitter.com/VxJKKUppp2— asud (@asud683385) September 30, 2025
Before the Asian leg, Medvedev had copped a hefty fine in the final Grand Slam of the season — the US Open — for riling up the crowd against the umpire. The World No. 13 was handed a fine of USD 42,500 after his dramatic first-round exit in Flushing Meadows.
The controversy unfolded during his 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4 defeat to Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi. Medvedev’s fury boiled over in the third set when, facing match point, a photographer wandered onto the court. Chair umpire Greg Allensworth responded by giving Bonzi a fresh first serve, sparking Medvedev’s rage.
He stormed at the umpire, heckled him, and whipped the crowd into chaos as boos and chants rang out, with play delayed for over six minutes. After the defeat, Medvedev smashed his racket, adding to his record of on-court misconduct. The fine was split into 30,000 US dollars for unsportsmanlike behaviour and 12,500 US dollars for racket abuse.
On Wednesday, Medvedev, however, stayed cool after his outburst and beat Tien 7-6(6), 6-7(1), 6-4 to proceed to the fourth round of the tournament where he will face Australia’s Alex de Minaur.
– Ends