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‘They Made It Worse’ – Going Against the Announced Call, John McEnroe Slammed a Chair Umpire to Back Daniil Medvedev in a Dramatic Incident at the 2020 US Open

Published 08/11/2023, 4:27 PM EDT

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via Imago

While there are quite a few stars on the ATP tour known for their outbursts, Daniil Medvedev likely outranks all players in this regard. The Russian player has become rather well known for his dramatic rants during matches. As the US Open edges closer, an old outburst of the star is doing the rounds on social media. It happened during the semifinal of the US Open in 2020, which even saw John McEnroe coming to his defense.

Medvedev is infamous due to his antics on court. The ATP world number three has had several fights with umpires over the years. One of his recent quarrels with a chair umpire was regarding his toilet break. While no comments came for that, a prior outburst saw McEnroe taking his side.

Throwback to a classic Daniil Medvedev outburst

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During the 2020 US Open, Medvedev faced Dominic Thiem in the semifinal bout. It did not take long for the drama to unfold as Medvedev had an outburst in the first set when the score was 3-2. Serving in the sixth game, the Russian hit a long ball which landed outside the box. The linesman did not call it, Thiem returned, and Medvedev, believing it would be called out, hit it at the net.

However, no fault was called, and the point was given to the Austrian. Medvedev was denied the chance of calling a challenge since the umpire ruled that he hit the ball into the net before calling for a review. Due to this, he saw red and started fighting with the umpire. To make his point, he marched around the net to point out where the ball landed. The instant he crossed the net, he was handed a code violation.

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With steam puffing out of his ears, Medvedev then pointed to the organizer in the stands and asked him which code he had violated. Wayne McKewen said that he crossed the net, which is against the rules. The argument continued further, and McEnroe made his thoughts known as he covered the match.

He said, “I don’t understand why he’s not letting him challenge that. That was a bad call and they made it worse by not letting him challenge. And then they called him for the violation on top of that. He clearly wasn’t playing the ball. He was standing there because he knew his serve was out.”

via Imago

After the match eventually continued, Medvedev couldn’t find his footing and lost in straight sets. Thiem would go on to win the match and the tournament. But this would not be the end of Medvedev’s outbursts on court.

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Angry Russian Daniil Medvedev Riles up Tennis Fans as He Vents Out Typical Frustration in His Own Style at Mutua Madrid Open 2023

Russian player’s outburst turns hilarious

The 2021 US Open champion is infamous for his tirades and fights with umpires. This year, he has fought with umpires twice, once for being warned for spitting on the court and once for taunting the chair umpire over a bathroom break. Frustrated at the speed of the court at Indian Wells, Medvedev taunted the chair umpire by saying, “I’m gonna pee as slow as this court. The court is slow, so I go slow“.

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While he meant it to be a joke, the umpire had taken it the other way. This led to an argument with the umpire, where he vented his frustration about the state of the courts. While some are serious and some are hilarious, we will witness more outbursts of the Russian star in the future.

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Written by:

Ripunjay Gaba

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Ripunjay is a Tennis writer with an unwavering passion for the sport and a deep admiration for Roger Federer. He specializes in providing in-depth coverage of everything related to the 'Swiss Maestro.' Ripunjay's love for tennis is evident in the quality of his writing, which is characterized by its clarity, depth, and insightful analysis.
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Edited by:

Tony Thomas