Just two days after 21-year-old Daniil Medvedev upset No. 5 seed Stan Wawrinka in the first round at Wimbledon, the controversial Russian left the Grand Slam tournament with an alarming lack of sportsmanship.
In his second-round match Wednesday against Belgium’s Ruben Bemelmans — in which he was a heavy favorite — Medvedev grew visibly frustrated with the chair umpire’s calls. In the fifth set, down 5-2, Medvedev demanded the umpire be replaced.
Daniil MedvedevEPAThe request was denied by the supervisor, and following the five-set defeat, Medvedev went to his wallet and tossed coins at the chair of the umpire.
After he stormed off the court, Medvedev was asked if he was trying to insinuate the umpire was biased.
“I haven’t thought about it, and that’s not the why I did it,” Medvedev said, according to The Independent. “I was disappointed with the result of the match. It was frustrating after a big win I had. All the match was not going well for me, so I was just very disappointed.”
Medvedev claimed he got caught up in the heat of the moment and apologized for doing a “bad thing.”
While he exhibited a ferocious style of play and awkwardly kissed the grass of Wimbledon after the Wawrinka upset, it was a rare moment of grace from Medvedev.
At the Savannah Challenger last year, Medvedev faced American Donald Young, who is black, and claimed that umpire Sandy French called the match in Young’s favor because of their similar skin color.
As he passed by French during that match, he reportedly told her under his breath: “I know that you are friends. I am sure about it.”
Medvedev was disqualified from the match for unsportsmanlike conduct.
