Being on tennis’ biggest stage, emotions are sure to flow out. One such incident occurred earlier today when Daniil Medvedev was up against Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinal of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Although the Russian star won the opening set, he couldn’t carry on the momentum as Medvedev lost to Alcaraz in four sets. However, the World Number 5 was embroiled in a controversy after an obscenity-filled rant toward the chair umpire.

During the first set, Medvedev was facing a break point after being 5-3 up. At that point, he chased a drop shot hit by Alcaraz and nearly made it before the umpire called ‘not up,’ meaning the ball had hit the ground twice. Eventually, Alcaraz managed to break Medvedev’s serve and it led to furious reactions from the Russian star.

He had a heated argument with the chair umpire, Eva Asderaki-Moore, and later, even made an inappropriate comment toward her. This led to the umpire getting down from her chair and calling on the referee and the tournament supervisor. Medvedev was let off with a code violation for the unsportsmanlike conduct. However, this didn’t go down well with the fans, who asked for Medvedev to be disqualified from the match.

Meanwhile, some fans remembered how players like Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic would have been treated, had they been in Medvedev’s place. In the past, the two legends have faced severe punishment for such conduct. While Serena Williams faced a points deduction during the 2018 US Open final, Djokovic was disqualified from the 2020 US Open for such incidents. As a result, many fans called out Medvedev’s actions, demanding his disqualification from Wimbledon.

Angry fans lash out at Daniil Medvedev for obscenity

During Serena Williams’ playing days, the American legend faced numerous instances of partiality. As a result, she received harsh penalties for inappropriate actions and some fans remembered this as Medvedev was let off for making such remarks. One fan took to Twitter and commented, “Serena would’ve [been] disqualified and banned.”

While the muted clip of Medvedev apparently using a curse word went viral on social media, a section of fans tried to lip-read him and slammed him for his actions. One of the fans felt that “it was bad enough to cause a conclave of officials and the supervisor on the court.” Meanwhile, many fans on social media felt that the match should’ve been stopped in the first set itself after Medvedev displayed unsportsmanlike behavior and made inappropriate remarks.

Another group of fans was brutal against Medvedev and lashed at him for his indecency on such a big stage. A match might go either way but what should hold is the sportsmanship, which wasn’t on display from Medvedev’s end. As a result, one fan revealed, “What a horrible man. Poor umpire, she shouldn’t have to put up with that.” Lastly, another fan had a good suggestion for Medvedev to repair the damage done. The fan commented, “I hope Medvedev has the decency to apologise to her at the end of the match.”

Eventually, Medvedev had to pay for his action as he bowed out of the tournament after losing against Carlos Alcaraz in four sets. The Russian star will have a day to forget, with nothing going in his way except the opening set.