"He didn't get one time violation" - Daniil Medvedev invokes Rafael Nadal in crazy outburst at umpire during Shanghai encounter

Known for his volatile behavior on the court, tennis star Daniil Medvedev was once again involved in another altercation with an umpire, this time questioning why he was handed a code violation.

The Russian took on rising star Learner Tien in the round of 16, with the American winning their previous two encounters this year. The match appeared to be heading in Medvedev's favor after he won the opening set in a tiebreak.

Medvedev appeared to be heading for a decisive victory, as he raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set. However, Tien would battle back to level the score, forcing a second-set tiebreak.

During the tiebreak, Tien capitalized on his opportunity as the 19-year old obtained a mini-break. Not known for keeping calm under pressure, Medvedev would take out his frustration on umpire Mohammed Lahyani, who thought the former World No.1 was taking too long to return when Tien was ready to serve.

Lahyani would issue the Russian a code violation for taking too much time. This infuriated Medvedev, who lashed out at the umpire as he recalled all the times he had faced Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal. Medvedev stated Nadal had always made opponents wait when he served, but never received a code violation like the one just handed out to him.

"All my life, I've been serving & waiting for Rafa for 55 seconds," argued Medvedev. "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. To me, today, at the slightest thing you give it to me. I always waited to return, and you didn't give it to him. You're crazy. Completely crazy."

Lahyani would remain resolute in his decision, and Medvedev would subsequently lose the second set tiebreak. Nonetheless, the 2021 US Open champion would regain his composure and win the final set, recording a 7-6(6) 6-7(1) 6-4 victory to book his spot in the quarterfinals. He next faces Australian ace Alex de Minaur, who defeated Portugal's Nuno Borges in their round of 16 encounter.