'Why is every referee in the world trying to intimidate me?' - Daniil Medvedev escapes punishment after heated row in China Open semi-final defeat

It all went wrong for Daniil Medvedev in the semi-final of the China Open, as he looked to reach his second final of 2025. Unfortunately, he was forced to retire from his match against Learner Tien, but it could have been a lot worse for the Russian.

The former US Open champion lost his cool with the umpire after he received a warning for not trying hard enough. There were obvious signs that Medvedev was struggling with cramp, and these efforts eventually got the better of him, as he was forced to retire when 5-7, 7-5, 4-0 down in the third set. But before that, Medvedev was left red-faced with umpire Adel Nour's decision to hand him a warning and even called the supervisor to debate this topic.

However, the governing body for men's tennis confirmed that it was an error, and Medvedev will not be fined for a code violation. The statement said: "Upon reviewing the incident during Daniil Medvedev’s semi-final match in Beijing, ATP Officiating has determined that the ‘Best Efforts’ code violation was issued in error. This was communicated to Medvedev and his team following the match, and no fine will be imposed.”

Medvedev fails to control his anger

The 29-year-old found himself 3-0 down in the premature stages of the match, before winning five of the next six games to sneak in front, clinching his second set point to claim the advantage. Despite taking a 3-0 lead of his own in the second set, Medvedev was starting to struggle with cramp. The umpire took this as a sign of not putting enough effort in and consequently handed him a violation code after Medvedev let a Tien serve fly past him.

In disbelief, Medvedev commuted to underneath Nour, calling the supervisor. “If I say something bad I get disqualified, but what am I supposed to tell this guy?” Medvedev said. The chair official attempted to get a hold of the situation, but Medvedev continued: “You don’t talk now.”

The umpire explained the situation over to Medvedev, but he was not convinced “So you prefer that I retire, just say it in the camera, that you prefer that the guys are retiring," he said. “It’s good, like this I can talk to you for 10 minutes now and maybe I’m not cramping anymore after 10 minutes. I’m giving my best effort, so why the hell is he saying I’m not giving best effort? I’m telling you I’m giving my best efforts, who are you to decide for me? Who are you? What’s your name?”