What did Medvedev say to Wimbledon umpire to get a code violation?

12 July 2024, 15:34 | Updated: 12 July 2024, 15:52

By Alice Dear

Why did Daniil Medvedev get a code violation? What did he say to Wimbledon umpire Eva Asderaki?

Daniil Medvedev, 28, was given a code violation during the Gentlemen's Singles semi-final at Wimbledon on Friday, 12th July, as he played against Carlos Alcaraz for a place in Sunday's Championship final.

At one point during the semi-final match, Medvedev was left so frustrated that he appeared to comment an explicit remark several times, leading to the violation.

It was Wimbledon umpire Eva Asderaki who stepped down from her tower following the point to talk to the match referee and supervisor, making clear something had happened.

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After some time talking to these men on the court, Eva returned to her tower where she confirmed that Medvedev had received a code violation for "unsportsmanlike conduct."

What did Medvedev say to the umpire?

It is not completely clear what Medvedev said to get the code violation and warning, but many people re-watching the footage back on social media seem to have made their own judgements.

We can not confirm what was said at this point, or whether his comments were directed towards Eva Asderaki, but it appears some sort of verbal abuse was issued.

The tennis professional, however, did say something serious in order to have the warning and violation issued to him.

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The Wimbledon commentators explained as the scenes unfolded on Centre Court: "Just wondering if after this point whether Medvedev said something to the umpire for the referee and supervisor to come on the court."

Later they confirmed: "He did say something to her but we don't know what it was. We are possibly finding out. This is something serious brewing."

While they didn't confirm the comment Medvedev had made, they did make it clear that if he received another warning he would lose a point.

However, things could have got a lot worse for the tennis player, with Tim Henman remarking: "If you use a swear word you’re going to get a code violation and a warning and a fine, but if you verbally abuse the umpire, that’s when there’s a question mark. It could be a default."

Some of the things that tennis players can get fined for while on the court at tournaments such as Wimbledon include being late for a match, ball abuse, verbal abuse, visible obscenity and - like in Medvedev's case - unsportsmanlike conduct.

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