A scene of great tension in the Tsitsipas – Medvedev, of the semifinals of the Australian Open. In the second set, after conceding a break (5-4), the Russian tennis player went crazy against the chair umpire of the party, the Spanish Jaume Campistol. The current number two in the world, in an action that resonated through a Rod Laver Arena closed due to rain, came to call “tonto” to the referee, reproaching him for the father of the greek player was doing coaching. “Brother, what are you doing? His father can speak at all points? Are you foolish? His father can speak at all points! Will you answer my question?”, was heard.
Far from stopping at Campistol’s request, Medvedev increased the decibels of his protest, going so far as to ask him to look at the face. “Oh my God, how mean you are. Look at me! I’m talking to you!”, he continued. The action, despite its high tone, did not entail any type of sanction for Daniil, who ended up losing the set and went to the locker room with a very unfriendly face.
The action, far from chance, You can find your reason in the rivalry between the two tennis players. They have met nine times on the ATP circuit and, over the years, a rough relationship has been forged that accumulates chapters both on and off the track. The origin, surely, is in 2018, in Miami, where they crossed their first expletives. Tsitsipas came to call “Basura Rusa and Medvedev” and he replied by defining Greek as a “boy who doesn’t know how to fight”. After coinciding in the European team of the Laver Cup, their relationship improved, but apparently not enough. “We haven’t spoken in recent months, but our relationship is one of competitors on the pitch fighting for the same dream.”, said, in a cryptic way, Stefanos after imposing himself on Sinner.
The scene has also revived a latent debate among tennis fans: how far should judges allow? Players like Nick Kyrgios, the usual suspect, continually add fuel to the issue. “These things should be punished”, “Lately I see many players disrespect referees without any consequence”, reacted, immediately, social networks. Regardless of the anecdote, or as a trigger for it, Both Tsitsipas and Medvedev had a lot at stake at the Rod Laver Arena: the ticket to the final. After giving up only in the notorious second set, it will be the Russian tennis player who will face a Rafa Nadal who will tackle the conquest of his 21st Grand Slam, the tiebreaker on the scoreboard of majors with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.