World No 2 Daniil Medvedev broke down in a furious tirade aimed at the umpire during the second set of his semi-final against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Australian Open.
Medvedev - no stranger to controversy Down Under - took the first set 7-6 (7-5) before the second was tied at 4-4 with the 25-year-old on serve. He double-faulted either side of a horrible forehand to gift Tsitsipas a crucial break, before Medvedev himself appeared to reach breaking point.
He aimed his fury at umpire Jaume Campistol on the changeover, and had another go at the official, like Nick Kyrgios did earlier this tournament, once he lost the set as Tsitsipas hyped the crowd up against his opponent.
On the changeover, Medvedev lost it with the umpire and unleashed a furious outburst at him as he urged for Tsitsipas to being given a code violation for his father talking to him between points - which has become a recurring theme in recent times.
The Russian yelled: “His father can talk every point! Bro, are you stupid? His father can talk every point! His father can talk every point! Can you answer my questions please? Can his father talk every point?”
Once he was slapped with a violation, Medvedev continued, completely incensed: “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 clearly wanted Campistol to award Tsitsipas a coaching warning, but the umpire refrained from the Russian’s pressure. After losing the second set 6-4, Medvedev picked up his bags and had one more jibe at the official before leaving the court.
“You understand, right? If you don’t [give him a coaching warning], you are - how can I say it - a small cat.”
Medvedev got his composure back soon after though, taking the third and fourth sets to claim his place in the Australian Open final on Sunday against Nadal.
Apostolos, Tsitsipas’ father, is part of the Greek superstar’s coaching team and often appears to be giving out tactical tips to his son from the box during matches. On-court coaching is strictly banned on the ATP Tour.
It is not the first time Tsitsipas has been embroiled in a coaching controversy at the Australian Open. He was handed a coaching violation in his third-round win over Benoit Paire and his fourth-round triumph against Taylor Fritz.
At the end of the fourth set against Fritz, the umpire even told Tsitsipas to speak to his father and urge him to stop such behaviour or he would receive another violation.
Swedish tennis legend Mats Wilander warned Tsitsipas that he must drop his father in order to continue his development.
“At some point his father needs to get out of there,” seven-time Grand Slam champion Wilander said on Eurosport. “Let Stefanos figure things out himself. You can have a proper go through the match beforehand and afterwards, but Stefanos can solve the problems [during the match].
“The situation [with the umpire] happens and then in the fifth set Tsitsipas wins it 6-4. He plays a brilliant set, maybe the best set in the whole match.”
Tsitsipas’ opponent Fabio Fognini also complained about the 23-year-old receiving illegal coaching during their match at Indian Wells last year. The two exchanged harsh words with one another after the match, with the pair seemingly nearly coming to blows.
