Daniil Medvedev seemed to have a grip on the first set of his Wimbledon 2024 semi-final clash against Carlos Alcaraz. However, controversy struck during the 10th game when Medvedev was serving to seal the set. A disputed call by the chair umpire resulted in the Russian going off on an NSFW rant as Alcaraz broke him to extend the first set.
While trailing 30-40 being up 5-4 in the first set, Medvedev rushed towards the net with hopes of returning Alcaraz’s accurate drop shot. It seemed as though the World No. 5 was successful in keeping the rally alive.
However, chair umpire Eva Asderaki believed that the ball had bounced twice on Medvedev’s side and awarded the point to the Spaniard.
Medvedev was understandably upset with the call and started screaming 4-letter expletives at the female chair umpire.
Medvedev hit with a code violation for saying… #wimbledon pic.twitter.com/7zxESntqv5
— Pamela Maldonado (@pamelam35) July 12, 2024
The Russian was reprimanded for his unsportsmanlike conduct. Asderaki didn’t show any mercy and slapped him with a code violation. However, tennis enthusiasts on social media didn’t agree with the decision.
Immediately after the incident, X (formerly “Twitter”) was flooded with individuals showing their support and sympathizing with Medvedev. Many felt that Medvedev was being unfairly targeted.
she got it wrong though looked like a clean shot to me so she should get a warning
— Tusio Nice (@RealTusioNice) July 12, 2024
It was not double bounce. It was on replay clear. Wrong call. Eva should also have warning for poor call.
— Marko Pantelic (@PantelaBrat89) July 12, 2024
But Medvedev got to the ball in time, so she was wrong to interrupt before the point was over!
— Phil Overton (@Phil_Overton) July 12, 2024
Hé was right to bé angry because thé ball didn’t double..what a drama for a Bad word…
— nolefan 17 (@NoleFanMC) July 12, 2024
Despite being visibly shaken, Daniil kept his composure and went on to win the set in the tie-break. Taking a 1-0 set advantage, Medvedev’s fans were certain that he had a great chance to upset the World No. 3.
However, the El Palmar native went on to dominate the remainder of the contest. The youngster won 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, over the next 1 hour and 58 minutes.
