Australian Open - 'Let me play!' - Astonishing moment Daniil Medvedev tells coach to leave stadium
Updated 13/02/2021 at 10:59 GMT
There was an astonishing moment during Daniil Medvedev's win over Filip Krajinovic as he rowed with his coach, who ended up leaving the stadium in Melbourne. The hot-headed Medvedev could not contain his frustration with his coach and screamed at him to, "Let me play!", before watching him heading for the exits.
Daniil Medvedev had a furious bust-up with his coach during his match against Filip Krajinovic in the third round of the 2021 Australian Open.
The fourth seed was forced to dig deep to battle past Krajinovic on Saturday, but came through, 6-3 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-0.
The Russian forced his coach Gilles Cervara from the empty stands in Rod Laver Arena following several rants in his direction in a tempestuous feud.
Medvedev screamed at his coach in various languages at different stages of the match, with perhaps the most striking line coming at a changeover:
Will you let me play? Let me play!
Medvedev will next take on American Mackenzie McDonald in the last 16 at Melbourne Park.
In completing the heated victory, the 25-year-old extended his winning streak to 17 matches and reached the fourth round.
Russia could end up with an Open era record four men in the last 16 of a Grand Slam, with Medvedev leading the charge of his compatriots.
It was far from the first time that Medvedev has become embroiled in a mid-match row with his coach, but on one of the biggest stages in the sport it's still remarkable.
Perhaps the way Cervara walked out of the stadium suggested he was not particularly shocked by what unravelled between the pair.
It wasn't the only strange controversy in the match either, as Krajinovic received a code violation for neglecting to wear his face mask while going to the toilet.
Krajinovic ranted with his coaches in his chair after receiving the formal warning, before pleading that: "I didn't know the rule!"
- - -
A head-turning offer for head-turning tennis. One-month premium subscription for just 99p on the Eurosport app and eurosport.co.uk
Join 3M+ users on app
Download
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article