Daniil Medvedev Makes Incredible Rafael Nadal Admission During Umpire Rant in Shanghai

Daniil Medvedev will face Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals of the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Daniil Medvedev Makes Incredible Rafael Nadal Admission During Umpire Rant in Shanghai

Daniil Medvedev and Rafael Nadal (via X/Meddy family/Tennis)

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Daniil Medvedev made a remark about tennis legend Rafael Nadal during his round of 16 clash at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. The former World No.1 delivered another chaotic moment on the court after the chair umpire, Mohamed Lahyani, gave him a warning while he struggled with cramps and the extreme weather conditions.

Medvedev only displayed his best tennis in the first set against Learner Tien and looked set to sail into the quarter-finals of the Masters 1000 tournament without much struggle after leading 3-0 in the second set. But surprisingly, Tien regained his composure and mounted a comeback, which led to Medvedev showing his frustration on the court.

He kept telling his new coach, Thomas Johansson, “Tien is everywhere! What do I do?” He made the statement repeatedly throughout the match, but particularly in the second set as he lost control of his dominance. Tien found a way to force the match to a decider after winning the second tiebreak of the match.

In the end, Medvedev calmed down and got the needed momentum to beat the 19-year-old youngster 7-6(6), 6(1)-7, 6-4. The win was Medvedev’s revenge against the American star after losing to him at the China Open and the Australian Open in January. He now holds a 1-2 head-to-head record against the China Open finalist.

However, before the second-set tiebreak, Medvedev received an on-court treatment for cramps, the same issue that forced him to withdraw against Tien at the China Open. But the Russian star received a warning from umpire Lahyani after taking too long to prepare for the return of serve. The 29-year-old vented his frustration at the umpire and brought up Nadal’s name during his defense:

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.

On tour, players have 25 seconds between points to be ready and the returned must be ready to return when the server begins their motion. That was what led to Medvedev receiving a time violation for not returning Tien’s serve during their semi-finals clash at the China Open. Nonetheless, the umpire was heavily criticized for not considering that Medvedev was struggling with cramps.

Daniil Medvedev praises his opponent after reaching the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters

Daniil Medvedev had to dig deep to earn his place in the quarter-finals of the Rolex Shanghai Masters. The former World No. 1’s 3-0 lead in the second set crumbled after he allowed Learner Tien to find his way back into the match. But unlike the China Open, he refused to give up, breaking the American star twice in the third set in the hot conditions of Shanghai.

Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev (Image via X/TENNISCentel)

During his on-court interview, Medvedev took out time to praise Learner Tien, calling him a good tennis player. The World No.18 then added that he’s an unbelievable player and has a great serve, which is very important in tennis:

I think the toughest part was that we played two times [before], and in my opinion he is an unbelievable player, because he doesn’t have a great serve and serve is so important in tennis. Without the serve, he is 19 years old and 30-something in the world and only going up. In my opinion he is such a good tennis player.

Medvedev will face Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters. De Minaur earned his place in the last eight of the tournament after beating Nuno Borges in straight sets on Wednesday (October 8). Medvedev leads their head-to-head record 7-4, but De Minaur won their last meeting at the Monte Carlo Masters in April.

Also Read: (In Pictures) Novak Djokovic Throws Up for the Second Successive Match in Shanghai Amid Complicated Conditions