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28th Jan 2022

Daniil Medvedev loses his cool in explosive rant at Australian Open umpire

Callum Boyle

‘Are you stupid?’

Daniil Medvedev caused a dramatic scene during his Australian Open semi-final clash against Stefanos Tsitsipas as he lost his cool with the umpire.

Medvedev was fuming after his Greek opponent was receiving encouragement from his father from the stands in Melbourne – which irritated the Russian.

The 25-year-old had missed an easy shot before following up with two false serves, prompting jeers from the crowd, with Medvedev clearly affected by supporters rooting against him.

During the changeover after Tsitsipas had won the second set, Medvedev was heard shouting at the umpire, Jaume Campistol.

The 25-year-old said: “Are you stupid?! His father can talk every point!

“Can you answer my question please?! Oh my God, you are so bad man! How can you be so bad in the semi-final of a grand slam?

“Look at me! I’m talking to you!”

Medvedev then proceeded to shout as Campitstol, calling him a “small cat”: “You are … how can I call it? A small cat.”

This isn’t the first time the Russian has been embroiled in controversy. During his second round victory, Medvedev was booed by sections of the crowd during an honest interview after his win against Nick Kyrgios.

During his conversation with Jim Courier, he accused the crowd of showing ‘ a lack of respect’ after his opponent, Kyrgios was largely supported by the crowd – something the Russian didn’t take to too warmly.

“That’s the only choice when you get booed between first and second serve, it’s not easy, but I just had to stay calm and win the match,” he said.

“Break point, second serve and people are cheering like you already made a double fault – that’s just disappointing … it’s not everybody who is doing it but those who are doing it probably have a low IQ.”

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