Daniil Medvedev Erupts At Referee At Shanghai Masters, Namedrops Rafael Nadal

Star Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev lashed out at the referee in yet another on-court meltdown at the Shanghai Masters on Wednesday and went on to name-drop Rafael Nadal during his altercation. But despite his antics, Medvedev ensured that he won the match, albeit in three sets.

Facing Learner Tien, Medvedev lost his temper after the chair umpire penalised him with a code violation for slow play.

Medvedev argued that Nadal was never penalised for his long service routines, claiming he often waited up to 55 seconds for the latter to serve but never saw him receive a code violation.

“All my life, I have been serving and waiting for Rafa for 55 seconds. And you give me a code violation on the first occasion. I played Rafa 5 times and there

wasn’t one time I was ready to serve and he was ready to return,” Medvedev said.

Medvedev to the umpire:

“All my life, I’ve been serving & waiting for Rafa for 55 seconds. And you give me a code violation on the first occasion. I played Rafa 5 times, there was not one time I was ready to serve and he was ready to return. He didn’t get one time violation.” pic.twitter.com/J88OklJi1y

— Corvath Draemir (@Archaicmind3000) October 8, 2025

This is not the first time Medvedev has clashed with an umpire this season. Just a week earlier at the China Open, he lost his temper after being penalised for ‘not giving his best effort’.

While battling cramps against Tien at the China Open, Medvedev confronted the umpire, asking in trademark fashion: “Who are you to decide what my best effort is?”

Cramping Daniil Medvedev gets a code violation for “not trying his best” by the ref. pic.twitter.com/VxJKKUppp2

— asud (@asud683385) September 30, 2025

Before the Asian swing, Medvedev was slapped with a hefty USD 42,500 fine at the US Open for clashing with the umpire and riling up the crowd during his dramatic first-round exit at Flushing Meadows.