Medvedev throws coins at umpire, faces action

The 21-year-old reacted angrily to a series of controversial calls during his 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3 loss to Ruben Bemelmans on Wednesday. Suffering from a meltdown, he appeared to ask the court supervisor to remove Mariana Alves as umpire late in the fifth set and then emptied his wallet of loose change moments after losing the match.

After the match, he was unsurprisingly bombarded with questions about the bizarre behaviour, with some suggesting that he was questioning the integrity of the official. He, however, said that he apologise to Alves personally if he sees her. 

“I was just frustrated, so it has no meaning,” he said. “I haven’t thought about it.” The 21-year-old further said that it was stupid of him to have done that. 

“It was stupid, but it was not like this. It was just that I was packing my things and I saw my wallet. In the heat of the moment I did that. I was ready to leave the court, but that’s what happened. I don’t even remember what the coins were,” he added. The world No. 49, who was not able justify his behaviour, said that he had immediately regretted it. “I was disappointed with the result too,” he said. 

“It was frustrating after a big win. The match was not going well for me. In the heat of the moment, I did a bad thing. I apologise. Sometimes you are unhappy with the call. Sometimes it’s in your favour. It happens,” he added.