Daniil Medvedev Accuses Chair Umpire of Giving ‘Special Treatment’ to Jannik Sinner During Italian Open Semifinal

Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev clash at the Italian Open suspended after a heavy downpour.

Daniil Medvedev Accuses Chair Umpire of Giving ‘Special Treatment’ to Jannik Sinner During Italian Open Semifinal

Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner (via X/The Tennis Letter/SK)

In Short
  • Daniil Medvedev accused chair umpire Aureole Tourte of giving Jannik Sinner "special treatment" during their Italian Open semifinal.
  • Sinner struggled with cramps and received a medical timeout, prompting Medvedev to question the fairness of the situation.
  • The match was suspended due to rain, with Sinner leading 6-1, 5-7, 4-2 at the time of the interruption.

Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev‘s incredible semi-final clash at the Italian Open was packed full of drama. After a one-sided first set tie, Medvedev made it difficult for Sinner in the second set, causing the Italian star severe physical pains that led to him struggling with cramps at the Foro Italico.

Sinner controlled the first set of the match comfortably. Medvedev looked lost in the first set as he failed to anticipate the Italian star’s move on the court. But in the second set, he changed his tactics. The Russian star started to dominate more and attack more, making him the one deciding the points.

In the first set, the average rally was 5.7, but it improved significantly to 9.7 in the second set. That changed the rhythm of the game. Sinner, who is known to finish up a point quickly, began to run down his baseline every second to recover from the barrage of forehand and backhand shots that Medvedev sent at him.

In the second set alone, Medvedev hit 13 drop shots, which Sinner failed to recover. That caused wear and tear in Sinner’s physical level. He began to breathe heavily and then half-vomited on the side of the court, before struggling with cramps in his right leg. He was handed a medical timeout, and Medvedev was not happy about it.

During the medical timeout for Sinner, Medvedev called out to the chair umpire, Aurelie Tourte, in French, demanding that if he had cramps, he would have been fined for calling for a medical timeout. Below is the breakdown of the conversation between Medvedev and the chair umpire:

Medvedev: I hope I don’t get fined for saying this. I already get $50,000 fines every tournament, so I hope that won’t be the case this time. Special treatment for him. When you call the physio for cramps, there’s no fine either, right?

Aurélie Tourte: If it’s cramps, he doesn’t manipulate him. If it’s not cramps, then he manipulates him.

Medvedev: Ok.

The match between Sinner and Medvedev was later suspended and postponed due to rain. However, it didn’t end as the score was 6-1, 5-7, 4-2 (40-AD) in favor of Sinner. The match will continue on Saturday (May 16) at the Foro Italico. However, Medvedev was willing to continue the match, but Sinner complained that the court had become slippery.

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Former Tennis player reacts to Jannik Sinner’s controversial medical timeout

Jannik Sinner was seen taking pickle juice when he took a medical timeout during his clash against Daniil Medvedev. The juice is a well-known aid for cramping, and the Italian star has been seen using it on previous occasions, when he struggled with the same condition against Tallon Griekspoor at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev
Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ, Tiempo De Tenis)

The cramps had become one of Sinner’s weaknesses on tour in recent years, which several players have used to their advantage on the court. However, during the Sky Sports commentary, there was a debate about the point that Medvedev raised on getting a medical timeout for cramps. Andy Murray’s brother Jamie Murray gave his take on the situation:

He is getting treated for cramp essentially, he’s getting his quads massaged. So, it happens a lot, obviously, I don’t agree with it personally. He’s getting his other quad massaged now, so it’s a tough one to explain that you have got two injured quads and it’s not cramp while you’re sipping on your pickle juice. Players exploit that every week; it’s not a unique situation. Medvedev knows what is up. Paul Ness, the ATP physio, knows what is up as well.

The beneficiary of the Sinner and Medvedev’s drama is simply Casper Ruud, who has already rested ahead of the final of the Italian Open. Ruud defeated Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-1 to reach the final of the Rome Masters for the first time in his career. He will be the favorite to win it, considering the fact that he has fully recovered from his semi-final clash.

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