Medvedev Accuses Umpire Of 'Double Standards Against Russians' In Furious Dubai Loss
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Daniil Medvedev played another bizarre match. This time, he lost against Tallon Griekspoor at the 2025 Dubai Championships and accused the umpire of having "double standards."
Medvedev is still ranked sixth on the ATP Tour, but he's been playing far below his best level in recent months. He lost in the second round at the Australian Open and also in his second match in Rotterdam.
But it hasn't been only about his tennis. The Russian player seems to be struggling mentally as well, often having outbursts and throwing tantrums despite previously saying he would like to get rid of that part of his game.
The latest of those came in his quarter-final match at the ATP 500 event in Dubai. Medvedev won his first two matches, and his quarter-final opponent was Tallon Griekspoor.
The Dutch player recorded two three-set wins over Roman Safiullin and Ugo Humbert. He even saved three match points against Safiullin.
Griekspoor was behind against Medvedev as well. The Russian player played very well in the first set. He was able to win 12 points in a row at one point, and also, thanks to that run, he won the first set 6-2.
Things were going well for Medvedev also in the second set. He was up by a break, leading 3-1. Although he then lost the one-break advantage, the former ATP World No. 1 player got to two match points at 5-4.
He couldn't use those, but at 6-5, Medvedev had two more chances to break. Again, he couldn't use them, so a tie-break had to decide. The 29-year-old played well at the start of the tie-break, leading 4-1, but he ultimately lost it 7-9.
Medvedev was furious after losing the tie-break, and he received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct from umpire Adel Nour. It wasn't clear what the warning was for exactly, but it was clear Medvedev didn't like it.
He immediately lashed out at the umpire, accusing him of giving him the warning because he was Russian.
"You’re very soft huh? Very soft. What is this, double standards against Russians?"
Obviously, Nour didn't like being accused of having double standards. The umpire was obviously mad, and he immediately hit back at Medvedev.
"Don't say something like this. Daniil, I'm very fair! I treat you all exactly the same."
Although Medvedev was able to regroup and continue competing in the third set, he was broken at the worst possible time. He faced four match points down 5-6 and ultimately lost 6-2, 6-7(7), 5-7.
After the match, Medvedev refused to shake Nour's hand and shouted some more words towards the umpire.
