The Miami Open has added a new kind of disruption to its long list of stoppages. The third-round match between Daniil Medvedev and Francisco Cerundolo was briefly interrupted mid-play when chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani was spotted in a serious safety hazard. 

In the third set at 2-3, the ninth seed was preparing to serve, and that’s when the cable of the spider cam became tangled with the umpire’s chair. This posed a grave danger of dragging down the whole system. Lahyani acted quickly, stopping play immediately before the situation could escalate into something far more dangerous.

“One second! Wait there!” he called out before adding, “It’s dangerous.”

Two court officials were seen rushing to stand on either side of the chair so that they could stabilize it and ensure that it did not topple over. The camera shot, going viral on social media, sparked rudimentary gasps among the audience and a moment of bizarre silence in what was otherwise a competitive third-round contest.

The commentary team on the broadcast captured the moment vividly.

“Gave him a bit of a fright, didn’t it? I think it’s the wire that is maybe caught on the back of the chair,” said commentator Naomi Broady.

Her colleague Jonathan Overend gave viewers a fuller picture of what had unfolded.

“You’re watching on the spider cam here, and then what has happened is that the spider cam, which seemed to be a bit out of control on that shot in the air with Cerundolo, has collided with the umpire’s chair. He’s alright. It’s a big old heavy bit of kit, and it’s attached to wires that are controlled by remote control. But could have been very nasty, that,” Overend said.

The stoppage lasted only a few minutes. After the technical crew resolved the issue, play went on without any further distraction. Cerundolo proceeded to win the match 6-0, 4-6, 7-5, knocking out the former world No. 1. The Argentine will now face 31st seed Ugo Humbert in the fourth round at Miami Gardens. 

To those who have been following the problematic week of the Miami Open, the spider cam malfunction was perfectly in line with the brand. An event that had already suffered full-day washouts, a game called off because the outer courts do not have lights, and the defending women’s champion bumped from the main stadium now had a camera cable virtually hurling its chair umpire down.

Lahyani, who was already in the tournament headlines for his controversial double-hit call in the Alcaraz-Fonseca match. He has now found himself at the center of another talking point, this time for no fault of his own, but simply by being in the wrong seat at the wrong moment. The Swedish umpire has had a lot of encounters with many tennis players in his profession, but none like that with Medvedev. 

Daniil Medvedev and Mohamed Lahyani: A History of Eventful Encounters

The spider cam incident that happened on Monday was not the only instance of Mohamed Lahyani and Daniil Medvedev being in the midst of an unusual situation together. The two have experienced multiple on-court moments that have happened to make headlines, each in their own manner.

During the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters, Medvedev engaged in a controversy with Lahyani. He was playing against world No. 40, Gael Monfils, in the R32. The Russian was leading 6-2, 1-2, when a linesman missed a call that cost him a point.

He outbursted at the officials, shouting his frustration at the chair. Lahyani got out of his seat to check the clay mark and urged Medvedev not to shout at the line umpire. This incident happened twice in that game, the first time going in favor of Monfils and the second time in favor of Medvedev. The former world No. 1 went on to win the match in straight sets after being 4-1 down in the second set. 

Another famous altercation happened when Medvedev forced Lahyani to call a game off in heavy rain with the score locked at 4-4 in the first set. It happened in a semifinal against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Rome Masters. At first, the umpire opposed and wanted to proceed, but the hard pressing of Medvedev proved eventually successful. The match was suspended with the mutual agreement of both players. 

On Monday, the positions were reversed. Lahyani made the stop, not Medvedev himself, and this time, it was not a line call or a change of weather problem. 

Meanwhile, the 18th seed moves into the fourth round, having eliminated one of the title contenders. On the other hand, the Russian will now look to prepare for one of his less-preferred surfaces on the tour.