Daniil Medvedev walked past the umpire without shaking his hand (Image: Tennis TV)
has apologised to an umpire after he refused to shake his hand following his latest outburst.
The world No. 6 at the end of the second set. After losing the match, he did not shake hands with the official.
Medvedev later addressed the situation and confirmed he’d spoken to the umpire in question, Adel Nour.
Medvedev blew four match points in the second set of his quarter-final against Tallon Griekspoor in Dubai. The Dutchman then forced a tiebreak and won it, keeping himself in the match.
After losing the second set, former champion Medvedev received a code violation and immediately reacted. “For what?” he repeatedly screamed towards Nour.
The umpire explained that it was for something Medvedev said, and the 29-year-old accused Nour of having “double standards against Russians” – an accusation Nour did not take kindly to.
“Don’t say something like this. Daniil, I’m very fair! I treat you all exactly the same,” he replied. Microphones didn’t pick up on what Medvedev said to receive the code violation, and commentators were none the wiser.
The top seed in Dubai went on to lose the dramatic match, as Griekspoor came out on top 2-6 7-6(7) 7-5. Afterwards, Medvedev walked past the umpire’s chair and did not shake his hand.
Daniil Medvedev wasn’t happy when he received a code violation at the end of the second set (Image: Tennis TV)
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But the world No. 6 cooled off after the match and apologised to Nour. Medvedev later retracted his claims that the umpire showed double standards towards Russians.
“I went too far, of course. We already talked after the match,” the former world No. 1 told .
“I’ve known this referee for a long time, and it’s not even about him. All the referees on the ATP Tour don’t care where you’re from, who you are. They’re just trying to do their job the best they can.
“It’s clear that someone will always be unhappy, so I just said that out of the blue. We talked, I apologised. I said that, to be honest, I don’t remember everything I said, that’s true.”
Addressing his code violation, Medvedev added: “And I’m not sure if there was something where I said something offensive, but if there was, I asked for forgiveness for it.
“I respect him as a judge. I won’t tell you what the problem was. Sometimes during a meeting, in the heat of the moment, things happen that seem unfair to you.”
Medvedev will now have some time to rest and get back on the practice courts ahead of the Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami.
As for Griekspoor, the world No. 47 is still delighted with the biggest win of his career in Dubai. He will face fourth seed for a spot in the final.
“I would like to celebrate, but there’s another match waiting tomorrow. Super happy with this win,” the 28-year-old said after beating Medvedev.
“Had to fight off a couple match points in the second set. Daniil is an unbelievable player and competitor. He’s been at the top of the rankings for so many years. Very pleased with this win.”