Daniil Medvedev went off at Adel Nour during a surprise defeat in Dubai, calling the chair umpire “very soft” and also insinuating that he had something against the Russians.
On Thursday, the No. 1 seed bowed out of the ATP 500 tournament in Dubai in the quarterfinal after world No. 47 Tallon Griekspoor saved four match points en route to completing a stunning 2-6 7-6 (7( 7-5 win.
But before the 2021 US Open champion picked up a shock defeat, he got into it with Nour after being handed a violation.
“For what?” Medvedev asked.
The umpire responded: “You know what you said to me.”
The world No. 6 had a blunt reaction to that statement, saying: “You’re very soft huh? Very soft… What is this, double standards against Russians?”
Medvedev not happy with the umpire after receiving code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct in match against Griekspoor
Daniil: “For what?”
“You know what you said to me”
Daniil: “You’re very soft huh? Very soft.”
Daniil: “What is this, double standards against Russians?”… pic.twitter.com/jRv8MEEbfP
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 27, 2025
Nour didn’t appreciate those comments at all, telling Medvedev he would never treat him differently just because he was a Russian.
“Don’t say something like this. Daniil, I’m very fair! I treat you all exactly the same,” the umpire said.
Griekspoor didn’t hide his happiness after upsetting Medvedev
At 5-4 in the second set, the top-seeded Russian missed out on two match points.
Two games later, the former world No. 1 missed out on two more match points.
And he ended up paying the ultimate price for that.
“Super happy with this win. Had to fight off a couple match points in the 2nd set. Daniil is an unbelievable player and competitor. He’s been at the top of the rankings for so many years. Very pleased with this win,” Griekspoor said after his win.
“That was the only option to come through, staying calm. Sometimes you need a bit of luck on your side. I felt like I had that today. Super happy with the win. I’ll try to recover and get ready for tomorrow.”
Tennis World USA