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Controversy! Johnson-Medvedev Grudge Match at Citi Open
138 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Bios
Steve Johnson and Daniil Medvedev had a hot-tempered clash on Wednesday late night on grandstand at the Citi Open that erupted into a grudge match.
“You seldom see tennis players get really mad at each other,” a photographer who was at the match told me. “But Steve Johnson and Medvedev got into it.”
I left the Fitzgerald Tennis Center right after Tennys Sandgren defeated Nick Kyrgios and unfortunately missed all the drama between 27-year-old Johnson and the #NEXTGEN Russian, who played each other once before, last month in Eastbourne (won by the 21-year-old 63 26 63).
Here’s what happened. #34 ranked Johnson won the first set 63 and was up a break in the second set. Both players were resting on a changeover and the chair umpire called “time.” That’s when Medvedev, ATP 50, suddenly asked for a medical timeout. It took the physio three or four minutes to get to the court and a further delay ensued. Johnson was understandably irritated at Medvedev’s stall tactic which of course was designed to distract the American’s following service game.
And of course it did. Medvedev broke Johnson who then shouted across the net at the young Russian who is based in Nice, France since age seven, “Nice injury time out you piece of sh**!” – according to the photographer who was present.
Medvedev ended up winning the second set 64 to force a third set deep past midnight before a sparse crowd. There were no other matches being played.
Johnson and Medvedev battled all the way to a third set tiebreaker which was won by the Russian 7-1.
The tricky Medvedev is no stranger to controversy. Last year at the Savannah Challenger Medvedev was disqualified for his choice of words during a match against Donald Young. Leading 15-40 against Young’s serve, Medvedev sat down in his changeover chair after he thought he won the point. But the chair umpire called his shot into question, and later ruled that it had gone out after stepping down from her seat and checking the baseline where the ball landed.
Medvedev who was trailing in the first set 1-3, spoke directly to the chair umpire, who was African American, as she began climbing back up to her seat. Spectators laughed at Medvedev’s comments before he added: ‘I know that you are friends. I am sure about it.’
Keith Crossland, the tournament’s supervisor, interrupted the game to have a discussion regarding Medvedev’s actions, before deciding to give the match victory to Young, 4-1.
Also this year at Wimbledon, Medvedev was fined $14,500 for throwing coins at the chair umpire following his second-round loss against Ruben Bemelmans. Medvedev had asked for a new umpire down 5-2 in the fifth set but he had his request denied. When Medvedev lost the fifth set (6-3) and match, he suddenly grabbed his wallet, began taking out coins, and tossed them at the umpire.
This Medvedev character is something isn’t he? He just might be the second-most controversial player in tennis today, second of course to Nick Kyrgios. If Medvedev can sustain this rate of antics and shenanigans, he could take over the ATP No. 1 ranking in the Race To Be Most Controversial Man On Tour by the end of the year.
Creating drama and controversy actually seems to have no effect on Medvedev’s performance. In fact, it may help. After beating Johnson in Washington, Medvedev followed it up 24 hours later with a straight set beatdown of wildcard Grigor Dimitrov 64 62.
Medvedev is definitely one to keep an eye on now. I tried to do a Biofile with Daniil yesterday afternoon on the grounds. He walked by and I asked if he could do a short interview, then I suddenly realized he might be playing later in the day and he said Yes he was. I said maybe we can talk after the match and he smiled and added that he’s playing late again. I was struck by his choirboy politeness. But underneath that pleasant exterior is a cunningly clever, very interesting young man who has an above average innate sense of how to win tennis matches without any fear of bending or stretching the rules or expressing his sincere thoughts and opinions of injustice or foul play.
Daniil Medvedev is just the kind of character the sport desperately needs.
Citi Open · Controversy · Medvedev
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« Previous 1 2 3 Next »Chazz · August 5, 2017 at 9:26 am
Chazz writes:
Wow, ATP rankings are harsh. Tiafoe dropped 17 spots to #84 after his loss to Kokkinakis. Also, Opelka dropped 35 spots to #165 after his loss to Medvedev.
scoopmalinowski · August 5, 2017 at 9:32 am
scoopmalinowski writes:
Paul won French Open juniors so he can play on clay too…no im not buying Kyrgios is homesick. Interesting that Sock isnt buying the shoulder or hip supposed injuries…Hartt let us know please your views today and whats up w Osaka who has been quiet lately. Yes there are several new names in the draw. There always are in Canada.
Andrew Miller · August 5, 2017 at 9:42 am
Andrew Miller writes:
Canada, tennis powerhouse?
Andrew Miller · August 5, 2017 at 9:46 am
Andrew Miller writes:
Maybe it is the courts, but PLENTY of players like fast courts. So, whether something in the water or inspired, Tommy Paul and Eubanks are the early revelations of the summer. Actually thought Caspar Ruud has a VERY nice game and seems even a notch better than most next Gen players except Zverev the Younger, but Tommy Paul forced Ruud into the retirement. As they say often players earn their breaks out there. Sandgren did and so did Paul. All in all the USA men have had a great two weeks on the early swing of the us hardcourt summer season. But, As always, Canada and Cincinatti and the US Open have far better fields and that's where all players must prove themselves. At least the first two are best of three sets.
Andrew Miller · August 5, 2017 at 9:50 am
Andrew Miller writes:
Wta side for Canada, so many players I don't know in the qualies. Canada stocked the qualies fields.
Andrew Miller · August 5, 2017 at 9:51 am
Andrew Miller writes:
Kokkinakis vs Querrey in semis in Mexico, with Querrey squeaking by Dzumhur. Dzumhur is like the Mike Russell of challengers outside the us. He might be one of the best players few know.
Andrew Miller · August 5, 2017 at 10:03 am
Andrew Miller writes:
What's the Montreal venue like? Or the Toronto venue?
Scoop Malinowski · August 5, 2017 at 10:05 am
Scoop Malinowski writes:
Andrew, though I did not see it I was told Ruud was ahead then lost control of the match and knew he was going to lose and just quit because he didn't want to give Paul the credit of a true win. Two different people told me this. But Paul must've been playing well because he backed it up. I did a Biofile with Ruud and interviewed Ruud's dad about his son's game and his progression and where he's at right now physically and mentally.
Andrew Miller · August 5, 2017 at 10:32 am
Andrew Miller writes:
Scoop, if that's what Ruud did, not the best. These guys have pride but he should've stuck around, just as Henin should have sucked it up and faced the loss to Mauresmo in that Australian open final in 2006? That said, I'm happy for Tommy Paul. I think you'd said or one of the commenters, Duke? Thomas Tung? That Tommy Paul had been playing very evenly on the futures. Wherever you can get the wins. Winning cures losing.
Duke Carnoustie · August 5, 2017 at 11:18 am
Duke Carnoustie writes:
Tommy Paul played some good tennis in Winnetka; I saw him beat Taylor Fritz there. That was no indication of these last two weeks though. Does anybody know if Paul and Bhambri get SEs into Montreal? Querrey v. Kokk is the final; If Sam wins he becomes Sambrero Sam instead of Samurai Sam with two wins in Mexico this year.
Duke Carnoustie · August 5, 2017 at 11:19 am
Duke Carnoustie writes:
Dzumhur may be best known to the U.S. tennis fan as the opponent that made Harrison break five rackets!
Andrew Miller · August 5, 2017 at 12:22 pm
Andrew Miller writes:
Sombrero Sam!!! Hysterical
Andrew Miller · August 5, 2017 at 12:24 pm
Andrew Miller writes:
Diego Moyano must be a solid coach. He gets his players to focus.
Scoop Malinowski · August 5, 2017 at 1:25 pm
Scoop Malinowski writes:
Focus, hit hard and worry about your side of the net. The three coaching cliches.
Scoop Malinowski · August 5, 2017 at 1:26 pm
Scoop Malinowski writes:
No, it was Sambrero Sam 🙂 Sambrero Querrey 🙂
Andrew Miller · August 5, 2017 at 2:54 pm
Andrew Miller writes:
Moyano sounds like a Macci protege!
Hartt · August 5, 2017 at 3:10 pm
Hartt writes:
Andrew, I can talk a bit about the Toronto venue, called the Aviva Centre. The main stadium is quite nice, it is large, seating 12,500. They use the same surface as the USO. There are about 12 other courts. I especially like the Grandstand stadium, which has been named for Milos Raonic. It is quite small, you get a terrific view from any seat. Today I saw a few games there between Dabrowski and Lepchenko before it started to pour. Lepchenko sauntered onto the court 10 minutes late for her match! A nice feature is a covered viewing area overlooking 4 or 5 practice courts. Today I saw Ka. Pliskova working with a hitting partner and Siniakova and Cibulkova practicing together. They were out there despite the rain. I was pleased to see huge banners on the side of the main stadium, celebrating past champions, including Mauresmo and Seles. There were a lot of activities, including the opportunity for young kids to try their hand at tennis. This is a family week-end with free admission, so there were lots of families with kids. It was great to see some very young children avidly watching tennis. It's too bad the rain disrupted the matches. The worst thing about Rogers Cup is getting there. It is located at York University, a long way from the city centre. Driving there is a nightmare and public transit is even worse. In a few months a subway stop will open at York University, much to my relief.
Scoop Malinowski · August 5, 2017 at 4:31 pm
Scoop Malinowski writes:
Thanks Hartt. I feel there 🙂
Scoop Malinowski · August 5, 2017 at 4:35 pm
Scoop Malinowski writes:
Not sure what Moyano brings to the table. If anything substantive to help these players become top 50 players. Or is he a court scheduler/caddy.
Dan Markowitz · August 5, 2017 at 8:42 pm
Dan Markowitz writes:
What's with Sock? He's proving that while he's a good player, an entertaining one, he's not a solid winner or slam contender. Not by a Kevin Anderson long shot.
Busted · August 5, 2017 at 10:02 pm
This isn't being a "character" – it's being childish and unsportsmanslike. If he wants to play with the adult men, then it's time to put on his big boy pants and leave the Pampers at home.
Chazz · August 5, 2017 at 10:09 pm
Chazz writes:
Sock in the post match complained about the court: "Pretty shocking tennis court. I don't think I'll be back at this tournament, probably, in the future. Probably the worst court of the year. Speed, bounces, everything. It's pretty shocking…probably the worst tennis court on the tour."
Busted · August 5, 2017 at 10:16 pm
I can't even look at Kevin Anderson anymore without thinking about the 6-1, 6-1 beat down Roger put on Anderson in Cincy in 2015 – when he unveiled the SABR. IIRC Anderson was ranked 15 or 16 at the time and it was such a complete dismantling that I cackled my way through the whole match.
Busted · August 5, 2017 at 10:27 pm
Isn't this kind of like the year Madrid was played on that slippery fast, blue clay and Nadal and Djokovic whined to high heaven because they lost early and threatened not come back the next year if it was still the slippery – and fast – blue clay? And Roger said nothing and won the tournament – but the following year the tourney was back to the slow red clay and Nadal, of course, won Somehow I doubt thought that DC will change the court like Madrid did just because world #19 Jack Sock whined about it.
Dan Markowitz · August 5, 2017 at 10:29 pm
Dan Markowitz writes:
Wow, DC organizers cant be too happy w Sock unloading on court. Might be true, but was he complaining about it after hecbeat Raonic in the quarters. Something about Sock, the guy's hard to take w his smirks and head shakes and always acting like he's the good-behaving version of his pal Kyrgios. Sock puts on a good show, but he's more flash than substance. Right now, there's not one American male player besides possibly QBall I really did appealing or want to root for. Paul might be that guy, but I hear he's not the brightest bulb in the box.
Andrew Miller · August 5, 2017 at 11:11 pm
Andrew Miller writes:
Sock said that? Poor sport. Not even sure if there's a kernel of truth there. Zverev Alex seems to be enjoying it.
Andrew Miller · August 5, 2017 at 11:38 pm
Andrew Miller writes:
Sock beat Raonic on same court. Dunno.
Chazz · August 6, 2017 at 1:02 am
Chazz writes:
2017 is the year of QBall, or Sombrero Sam (coined here). No American this year can match what he has done.
catherine · August 6, 2017 at 1:51 am
catherine writes:
Down goes Muguruza to Keys. W'don jinx striking again 🙂
catherine · August 6, 2017 at 2:00 am
catherine writes:
Or Garbine back to her post-Slam form ?
Hartt · August 6, 2017 at 7:26 am
Hartt writes:
Some interesting qualies matches in both Montreal and Toronto. Frank Dancevic made it through and plays Smyczek today. Escobedo and Opelka will face each other. In Toronto there are several good match-ups, including Rybarikova v. Lepchenko (wonder if Lepchenko will get to her match on time), and Barty v Brengle. Carol Zhao was the lone Canadian to get through the first round. She went to Stanford for a couple years before turning pro, so is a bit older and more experienced than the really young ones like Sebov. Zhao will play Alexandrova.
Scoop Malinowski · August 6, 2017 at 8:39 am
Scoop Malinowski writes:
Sour grapes is ok after a bad loss. A lot of players do it. Take it for what it's worth.
Andrew Miller · August 6, 2017 at 8:53 am
Andrew Miller writes:
Scoop, Gullickson once told Sampras when Sampras was complaining about Wimbledon's grass surface to get over himself and appreciate it. I'm pointing this out because Kudla complained frequently about summer hard courts saying grass is his surface of choice. Sock, a semifinalist at the dc tournament with a strong week of tennis behind him, blames the court. There's a reason that Sock and Kudla aren't reaching the promised land of the top ten any time soon. It may have to do with their attitude and they may be finicky. The top four complain about surfaces also. But they deal with it. They appreciate nuance, ball type, etc. If they need to get used to surface they do. They man up. They notice differences and adjust accordingly. So when I hear Sock blame court surface, could always say hey, the guy played well. My opponent took it to me. No I didn't scout him right. A little bit of self reflection wouldn't hurt. It wasn't as if the balls or court were different for his opponent. Last time I checked they were on the court at the same time…playing each other!!!
Andrew Miller · August 6, 2017 at 8:54 am
Andrew Miller writes:
Hartt, is Montreal venue similar? I think it's pretty cool that Canada holds events at same time in two different cities. I get it's a Canada thing.
Andrew Miller · August 6, 2017 at 8:56 am
Andrew Miller writes:
Scoop, what are your favorite tennis venues? Have you and Dan hit Canada's courts?
Hartt · August 6, 2017 at 11:11 am
Hartt writes:
Andrew, unfortunately I have never been to the Uniprix venue in Montreal, but I hear it is great and they always get big crowds. The Aviva Centre here would not be big enough to hold both the WTA and ATP tourneys at the same time, and I imagine that is true of Montreal as well. The WTA event used to be held during a different week and that had the advantage that it was easier to see both tourneys. But the schedule was very bad, it was hard to attract top players, so they came up with the current solution. One thing that is a bit odd is that the ATP Rogers Cup is a Masters 1000, but the WTA is a Premier 5, not a Premier Mandatory, so it is not at quite the same level.
Duke Carnoustie · August 6, 2017 at 11:17 am
Duke Carnoustie writes:
I wish these guys would start complaining about their opponents instead of the surface, chair umpire, etc. Why not a little hatred for the person who is beating you down. Connors and Mac hated each other. Mac and Lendl, I guess Mac and anyone. These young guys are trying to be buddy-buddy like Fed yet it only really works for the Big Four. Dan among the current U.S. players I root for Querrey, Johnson and Young. Not fans of Sock, Isner and Harry though I respect what they do on court and won't root against them. Haven't been watching Fritz, Tiafoe, Paul etc long enough to form an opinion.
Duke Carnoustie · August 6, 2017 at 11:27 am
Duke Carnoustie writes:
I am going to pick Coco over Keys and say that winning this match will officially make her a dark-horse to win the Open.
Andrew Miller · August 6, 2017 at 11:44 am
Andrew Miller writes:
Duke I agree! Believe more of a second week thing, that Keys, Coco are preview of a solid us open QF. Nice to see Keys motivated. She probably took Muguruza as a worthy challenge. But I highly doubt it matters that much to Muguruza. She seems to brush it off, maybe even exits court thinking folks, I am Wimbledon champ, could care less!!!
Andrew Miller · August 6, 2017 at 11:53 am
Andrew Miller writes:
Sombrero Sam Querrey! Isner and Querrey top dogs again in USA men's tennis. Sock moving DOWN the totem pole. Johnson staying put. Next Gen USA men wondering how Tommy Paul does it. Eubanks wondering if he can do it again. Mmoh in a statement match out in Lexington against Millman, has to prove himself. Bottom line: USA men's tennis is once again about Isner and Querrey and every other competitor is a subplot. Sock may be happy to be on another us hardcourt swing, but his performance is the same more or less with Harrison, Johnson and now…Tommy Paul. DY's early hardcourt swing has been disappointing, but he's hitting the ball well. The guys above will have their hands full in Canada and Cincinatti and NYC. We'll see who can grind out the big wins. I'm optimistic. They should aim to peak at the us open. Guys playing for scraps are everyone else from Donaldson on down.
catherine · August 6, 2017 at 11:58 am
catherine writes:
Andrew – so Muguruza wins GS tournaments at the rate of one per year – W'don, FO done, next AO ?
dan markowitz · August 6, 2017 at 11:59 am
dan markowitz writes:
Just got an email from my friend, Brydan Klein, and he's in final round of Q's in Montreal today and then he says he goes to Vancouver to I guess play a Challenger and then he's coming to Open and might stay at my house. I'm going to have him hit with another friend who actually teaches my son occasionally, Erik Scharf, who once lost to Blake 6-4 in the third of the NCAA's. Scharf is 38, and never had a ranking below 1000 (although he complains that they stopped giving points for quali wins and that lost him a lot of points), but the guy is sick. Klein is ranked no. 159 in the world, but I want to see these two guys play sets because I wouldn't be surprised (but maybe I'm crazy; I might be crazy; very possible I'm crazy) if Sharf can beat Brydan. Anyway, Brydan beat a Canadian by the name of Leduc, I think, love and 3 yesterday. These pros must love when they come to a big national event and they draw some local yokel wildcard in the first round. Now he plays Vincent Millott today to try to quali for the Main Draw. Millot is 31. When you're 31 and still playing challengers and Qualis it means two things, you really love the game and you're probably French. I have been to Canada once, the Toronto site, and I was disappointed with it. Traffic was absurd. It's like 20 miles outside Toronto so I didn't get in to see the city much and I thought the site needed an upgrade. It's nice from a spectator point of view because the crowds are not intense and the players were practicing on the side courts a lot. Also, I had an interview set up with Djokovic through his manager and they blew me off.
Andrew Miller · August 6, 2017 at 1:18 pm
Andrew Miller writes:
No one's done the Montreal tourney? That's too bad. I'd bet it's nice.
Scoop Malinowski · August 6, 2017 at 2:56 pm
Scoop Malinowski writes:
Even the great Federer complained about the Madrid blue clay so I guess that opened the floodgates and now it's Fed Cool to complain about the surface. That Madrid thing was maybe Fed's wimpiest moment.
Scoop Malinowski · August 6, 2017 at 3:02 pm
Scoop Malinowski writes:
Andrew: I have covered these pro tennis events – Wimbledon, US Open, Newport Miami, Washington DC, Sarasota Open, Philadelphia indoors WTA, WTA year end championships at Madison Square Garden, Mahwah Classic ladies exo in the 90s, Powershares Senior Tour in Orlando FL, Delray Beach Open, Davis Cup final in Portland, WTT in NYC at Randalls Island. I really enjoyed each and every one but I might have to put Newport at the top of the list. Newport by a nose over Miami, US Open, Wimbledon, Delray, Washington, Sarasota. I have a lot of favorite venues but my favorite court of all is US Open grandstand which is now forever gone.
GameSetAndMath · August 6, 2017 at 4:12 pm
scoop said:
↑
I don't think Fed complained about blue clay. Lots of other players (notably Rafa and Nole) complained. Fed stayed quiet and won it.
Actually, the funny thing is that most people were complaining about the "blueness" of it. But, that was not the real problem. The real problem was that the clay was laid on concrete or something like that. I actually wish they fixed the real problem and retained the blue courts. The yellow balls on blue courts are lot easier to see on TV.
Dan Markowitz · August 6, 2017 at 4:14 pm
Dan Markowitz writes:
Talking about hard to see…the WTA multi-color courts make it real hard to see the ball on tv.
Andrew Miller · August 6, 2017 at 4:31 pm
Andrew Miller writes:
Alex Zverev wins another title over Anderson. If he won it and complained that would be kind of funny.
Andrew Miller · August 6, 2017 at 4:34 pm
Andrew Miller writes:
Mmoh beats Millman for the Lexington challenger. Nice win. Smyczek downs Dancevic in Canada. Opelka beats Escobedo to make the main draw. Escobedo has really been in a rut! That's how it goes in a sport decided by inches. One minute you're on the verge of the top 60 and a hair behind your peers, the next you are bottoming out of draws in Mexico and qualies in Canada and booking flights unless you are in the dubs.
Andrew Miller · August 6, 2017 at 4:37 pm
Andrew Miller writes:
Vickery and Cirstea both make the Montreal (?) draw?! Glad to see Cirstea do well after departing early in a tournament in the home country of Romania. Sometimes playing in front of a home crowd is tough…especially against another player from the home country! If you think Canada stocks the draw check out Romania.