In a dramatic China Open semifinal in Beijing, Daniil Medvedev’s match against American Learner Tien came to a painful and controversial end. After splitting the first two sets, Medvedev began to struggle severely with cramping during the third set. The situation escalated when chair umpire Adel Nour issued the Russian a code violation for a perceived lack of “best efforts” after he failed to move for a Tien serve. A heated argument ensued, with Medvedev confronting the umpire and the match supervisor.

“If I say something bad I get disqualified, but what am I supposed to tell this guy?” Medvedev argued, later adding, “I’m giving my best effort, so why the hell is he saying I’m not giving best effort? I’m telling you I’m giving my best efforts, who are you to decide for me? Who are you? What’s your name?” He was ultimately forced to retire from the match while trailing 0-4 in the decider. However, in a post-match vindication, the ATP reviewed the incident and determined the violation was issued in error, rescinding any fine.

Ahead of his 2025 Shanghai Masters campaign, Medvedev reflected on the severe and unusual nature of the cramps he experienced in Beijing. As shared by user lildarkcage on X, the Russian said, “Cramps started in the hand, went into the leg, the glutes, then in the locker room my abs cramped as well. It was more mental than physical. I’ve rarely experienced this..maybe 3 times in my whole career. It’s quite painful.”

Despite the physical setback in Beijing, Daniil Medvedev showed promising form at the China Open before his retirement, defeating players like World No. 3 Alexander Zverev, who he holds a dominant 14-7 win record over. He arrived in Shanghai as the 16th seed, his lowest seeding at the event in a long time, and is set to face Czech qualifier Dalibor Svrcina in the Round of 64, a player he had defeated just a few months prior at the Canadian Open.

The incident in Beijing underscores the fine line athletes walk, where a physical struggle can be misinterpreted as a lack of competitive effort, adding another layer of challenge to an already demanding season for the former World No. 1. However, Medvedev has had more episodes like this before, such as at the US Open this year, and recently, he opened up about the reason behind losing his cool.

Daniil Medvedev has an explanation for his actions

During a press conference, Daniil Medvedev was asked about his complicated season, and he gave one of his classic responses. He opened up, saying, “Yes, I mean, what’s beautiful about tennis, what’s difficult about this sport, and sorry, I go a bit far, I sometimes act a bit crazy on the court. A lot of fans come to see me in France or Monaco.” Tennis is more than just having athletic talent, as it’s a real brain teaser. And being isolated makes it tough; in contrast to team sports, there’s no one else to share the spotlight or the pressure on court for singles players.

Players find themselves on their own, without a clock ticking down or teammates to lend a hand. Furthermore, he added, “They say to me: ‘Listen, I’m like you, I’m calm. In life, I’m calm. On the road, I’m calm. It doesn’t matter. I argue with my wife, I’m calm. And as soon as I go to play tennis, I go crazy, I go crazy.’ Tennis can make you crazy.”

Throughout his career, his anger led to some pretty big fines. Indeed, after his outburst at the 2025 US Open, he ended up with a hefty fine of $42,500 for unsportsmanlike conduct and racket abuse. But you know what? The bright side is that he’s come to terms with his temper. “It makes me crazy because you don’t know. People ask me why I had a bad year? I don’t have the exact answer. It could be my second daughter. It could be my relationship with Gilles (Cervara, his former coach), it could be because I’ve grown up and started to think more than I did when I was younger or it could just be bad luck, or maybe I just wasn’t feeling well somewhere. You never know,” Daniil Medvedev mentioned.

Indeed, this year has really been packed for the Russian tennis star. Back in January, he shared the news about his second child being born, bringing some extra responsibility his way. And after his outburst and subsequent first round loss to Benjamin Bonzi, Medvedev parted ways with his longtime collaborator, Gilles Cervara, under whose guidance he won his first major at Flushing Meadows in 2021.

He hasn’t picked up a trophy since Rome 2023 though, and a lot of title opportunities have just slipped away. That would definitely frustrate a player of his caliber. As the Shanghai Masters approach, we’ll just have to wait and see what he can pull off in the tournament.