Boris Becker says Daniil Medvedev outburst ‘the decisive moment’ in semi-final win against Stefanos Tsitsipas
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Updated 28/01/2022 at 14:17 GMT
Having been broken twice before losing the second set to Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev flew into a rage at umpire Jaume Campistol and accused him of allowing his opponent’s father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, to coach him through the match. Having let off steam, he returned to the court with renewed focus and took the next two sets for the win.
'Are you stupid?' - Medvedev lets rip at umpire over Tsitsipas 'coaching from father'
Daniil Medvedev’s outburst during his Australian Open semi-final triumph against Stefanos Tsitsipas was “the decisive moment in the match”, according to Boris Becker.
Having been broken twice before losing the second set to Tsitsipas, Medvedev flew into a rage at umpire Jaume Campistol and accused him of allowing his opponent’s father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, to coach him through the match point by point. “Are you stupid?” he screamed at the changeover.
“Are you mad? Are you mad? And his father can talk every point? Wrong!” he went on. “His father can talk every point? His father can talk every point! His father can talk every point?! Answer my question!
“Will you answer my question? Can you answer my question please? Can his father talk every point?
“Oh my god! Oh my god! You are so bad, man! My god, how can you be so bad in a semi-final of a Grand Slam? Look at me! I am talking to you!”
While the explosive rant didn’t earn Medvedev many friends at Rod Laver Arena, it did seem to galvanise him. Having let off steam, he returned to the court with renewed focus and took the next two sets to win 7-6(5) 4-6 6-4 6-1.
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'Every match against Stefanos is special' - Medvedev on fiery rivalry with Tsitsipas
Afterwards, on Eurosport Germany’s Matchball Becker show, Becker identified the blow-up as a turning point in the match. “Millions of people watch the match,” he said. “Of course, that was the decisive moment of the match.
“Medvedev was warned, but of course he hit a sensitive spot. Tsitsipas has been coached by his father for years, that’s no secret.
“I still saw a chance for Tsitsipas to pull away because Medvedev was emotionally very battered. He didn’t do that. Medvedev calmed down again and the match took its course.”
Assessing the match itself, Becker suggested that the world No. 2 fully deserved his win. “You have to be fair, it was an absolutely high-class match for three sets, world-class in parts,” he said.
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'That was a big mistake' - Medvedev regrets rant at umpire over Tsitsipas 'coaching'
“The emotions went back and forth. Some of the things Medvedev said after the second set were very juvenile. But, towards the end, Tsitsipas dropped a bit and looked almost helpless on the court, also because his father got a warning for coaching. Things didn’t go well for the Greek. But one thing is for sure, Daniil Medvedev was the better player.”
The six-time Grand Slam winner and former world No. 1 also expressed his delight that Medvedev will face Rafael Nadal in the men’s singles final on Sunday.
“For me, the two best players are in the final. For Nadal, I’m happy because I’m a big fan of him and I was worried after his surgery. But Nadal wouldn’t be Nadal if he didn’t have a chance to win every time he plays a tournament," he said.
“Nadal has earned his status over the years. He says the right things even after the match. You can’t say that about Medvedev, who is very honest. That’s not always good.
“But Daniil also earned a few hearts here, especially with his fighting performance.”
Despite Medvedev’s fury over his father’s perceived interference and an eventual warning from the umpire, Tsitsipas laughed off accusations of in-match coaching afterwards. “You saw me the other day, losing the score twice in two of my matches... I cannot hear anything when I’m playing, it’s impossible,” he said.
“Having the crowd being so loud in every single point, I mean, you have to have super hearing to be able to hear what your coach says.”
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Highlights: Medvedev edges out Tsitsipas in heated battle to reach final
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