Daniil Medvedev is headed to the Australian Open finals – though it took another on-court meltdown to get him there.
Medvedev, who has turned into one of tennis’ premier villains throughout his rise to world No. 2, survived a tough four-set victory, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, against his rival Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the finals in Melbourne. Medvedev was his usual feisty self, with much of his ire was directed towards umpire Jaume Campistol.
In the second set, Campistol thought Medvedev appeared to give him an “up yours” signal with his arm, and the umpire gave him a code violation. While sitting on the bench, Medvedev unleashed on Campistol in a rant caught on camera, accusing Tsitsipas’ father of illegal coaching.
“Bro, are you mad?” he yelled. “For what? And his father can talk every point? Bro, are you stupid? His father can talk every point!”
He repeated the last line multiple times, screaming at the umpire to “answer my question.”
“Oh my god, you are so bad, man. How can you be so bad in the semifinal of a Grand Slam. Look at me! I’m talking to you!”
Eventually, Medvedev said, “If you don’t [give him a warning], you are – how can I say it – a small cat.”
Medvedev was able to regain his focus after dropping the second set and win the match in four sets, eventually apologizing to the umpire as he left the court. After the match, he said he regrets the abuse he is known to let fly on the court, saying, “I don’t think it’s nice” and that he gets caught in the “heat of the moment.”
Tsitsipas, on his end, admitted his father likes to talk during matches.
“My father, his medicine is to talk, and you can’t stop it,” Tsitsipas said. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to keep receiving coaching violations, even though I will never listen to any single thing he says.”
Medvedev will face Rafael Nadal, who is going for the all-time record of 21 Grand Slam championships, in the final on Sunday morning.