Last Updated:
Tallon Griekspoor came through 2-6, 7-6 (9/7), 7-5 in a thrilling encounter, but it took a toll on Daniil Medvedev’s nerves, who imploded and messed things up in the middle.
‘Double Standards Against Russians’: Daniil Medvedev Accuses Umpire Of Biasness (Picture credit: AFP)
Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev on Thursday lost his cool during his quarterfinal encounter against Tallon Griekspoor at the Dubai Championships, accusing chair umpire Adel Nour of being unfair towards Russians.
Griekspoor came through 2-6, 7-6 (9/7), 7-5 in a thrilling encounter, but it took a toll on Medvedev’s nerves, who imploded and messed things up in the middle.
The Russian star has been a player who has quite often been embroiled in verbal spats with chair umpires, but on most occasions, the war of words has gone on for long and slightly beyond limits.
On Thursday, during his usual rant, Medvedev asked umpire Nour from Egypt if he had a bias against Russians, a big and controversial statement to make in the current geopolitical situation.
Nour definitely had to stop Medvedev and defended his unbiased approach.
“Said it before will probably say it again: Medvedev almost seems eager for a default for the past year or so,” journalist Ben Rothenberg tweeted on Thursday night.
Said it before will probably say it again: Medvedev almost seems eager for a default for the past year or so. Like he’s clawing for the limit so he knows where it is…but somehow he hasn’t hit it yet. https://t.co/nbBWn1h2H6— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) February 27, 2025
Medvedev started speaking with Nour and then got a code violation, which escalated the verbal spat. The former asked, “For what?” Nour answered, “You know what you said to me”.
Medvedev said, “You’re very soft, huh? Very soft. What is this, double standards against Russians?” Nour said, “Don’t say something like this. Daniil, I’m very fair! I treat you all the same.”
Medvedev lost the decider, smacked his racquet to break it and left the court without shaking Nour’s hand. He is now 8-5 this year.
Medvedev reached the quarterfinals of the ATP 500 tournament after defeating Jan-Lennard Struff and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first two rounds.
Griekspoor kept his cool in the sweltering Dubai heat to confirm a first ATP Tour semifinal. He said later, “I would like to celebrate, but there’s another match waiting tomorrow. 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 added.
