Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev were both fined after they faced off in a fiery semifinal round of the Australian Open on Friday.
Medvedev, who went on to win the match, was fined a whopping AU$17,000 after an outburst directed at the chair umpire during the semifinal.
The Russian player, annoyed at Tsitsipas’s coach, who is also his father, allegedly speaking to the player in Greek, screamed at the umpire.
“Are you mad? Are you mad?” he screamed at the umpire. “His father can coach every point? Are you stupid? His father can talk every point? His father can talk every point?”
MEDVEDEV BLOWS UP! 😡😡
The Russian has sensationally accused Tsitsipas of being coached and has GIVEN IT to the umpire over it too! 🤯🤯#AusOpen – live on Channel 9, 9Now and Stan Sport. pic.twitter.com/8Xa3qOjvnf
— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) January 28, 2022
In a conference after the match, Medvedev explained that he heard Tsitsipas’s coach speaking to the Greek player in their native language, which neither he nor the umpire understood, so it was impossible to know if he was coaching or not.
“Before every return he was talking Greek… I don’t know, maybe he’s saying, ‘Come on, come on’, there is no problem.
“I asked him [the umpire] if he can talk. He said he can talk but he can’t coach. Then I said, ‘Do you speak Greek? If not, the guy is talking, talking, talking’. I don’t know what he says,” Medvedev stated.
He then expressed the he regrets his conduct, saying: “I do regret it 100 per cent, but again in the heat of the moment, I just lost it.”
The Russian was fined for unsportsmanlike conduct and obscenity. Tsitsipas, for his part, was also fined, albeit less. He received a fine of AU$7,000 for coaching.
Tsitspas and Medvedev have a long-brewing rivalry. When asked about his competitor’s behavior during the match, the Greek said that it may have been a tactic to throw him off his game, and that Medvedev “is not the most mature person anyways.”
He also countered the allegations of coaching, saying: “I cannot hear anything when I’m playing. It’s impossible. Having the crowd being so loud in every single point, you have to have super hearing to be able to hear what your coach says.”
Tsitsipas hoped to go a step further in Australian Open this year
Tsitsipas hoped to go better than his previous performance at the Australian Open where he reached the semi-finals in 2021.
But, in a rematch of last year’s semifinals against Medvedev, Tsitsipas’ dreams of an Australian Open final were crushed.
Medvedev is known as an incredibly challenging player to counter, as he is known for his power and speed.
The Russian player could win AU$2.8 million if he beats Rafael Nadal in the finals, and will take home AU$1.5 million if he loses.
Tsitsipas took home AU$895,000 for reaching the semifinals.
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