Daniil Medvedev has expressed “regret” over his explosive outburst at chair umpire Jaume Campistol during his Australian Open semi-final win, admitting he lost control.
Medvedev prevailed in a fiery four-setter against Stefanos Tsitsipas, but not before an almighty blow-up that threatened to derail his chances of making a second straight final at Melbourne Park.
The No.2 seed initially fired up at the Spanish official over his belief that Tsitsipas’ father Apostolos was coaching the No.4 seed from the stands.
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He then doubled down as he passed the chair umpire en-route to the locker room for an outfit change, calling Campistol a “small cat”.
Following his win, Medvedev admitted that he feared he’d mentally taken himself out of the contest at the time.
“You guys are laughing, so I think we can say it was funny, but I was definitely out of my mind,” he said regarding the “small cat” comment.
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“I was not controlling myself anymore about anything, and that’s actually why I’m really happy to win, because many matches like this I would go on just to do mistakes, because you lose your concentration a lot when you get in this heat of the moment things.
“The next game, 15-40, started terrible, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m just completely losing the fiber of this match’. I’m so happy that I managed to catch it really fast.”
Medvedev has become known for his tendency to explode into fiery outbursts in tense moments and admitted it is a habit he is desperately trying to curb.
“I regret it all the time, because I don’t think it’s nice,” he said.
“I know that every referee is trying to do their best. But, yeah, when you are there, tennis, you know, we don’t fight with the fists, but tennis is a fight. It’s a one-on-one against another player.
“So I’m actually really respectful to players who almost never show their emotions because it’s tough. I can get really emotional. I have been working on it.
“So many matches I handle it. I think if we look back at myself five years ago when I started playing, just started playing, there was less attention on me, but I was just insanely crazy.
“You know, I’m working on it. Helps me to win matches, I know. So I do regret it 100 per cent, but again, in the heat of the moment, I just lost it.”
In beating Tsitsipas, Medvedev booked a ticket to a meeting with a man in Rafael Nadal who is known for his zen-like demeanour off the court. The Russian paid tribute to the 35-year-old for his incredible composure.
“I don’t know if I should call it this way, but he’s like a perfect guy,” he said.
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“When you ask him why he doesn’t break a racquet, like always the story about the controller when he was young and Toni told him you shouldn’t do it.
“It’s tough, you know. I know many of my friends who break controllers who don’t even play tennis.
“People can get mad at many things, and I feel like Rafa he’s amazing for this. Yeah, have not much to add. He’s just amazing about this.”