The Wimbledon tournament was met with drama this week when BBC commentators observed that “something serious” seemed to be happening during the first men’s semi-final.
Commentators were left wondering what had happened when umpire, Eva Asderaki-Moore, consulted with the supervisor and referee. It was followed by a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct being handed to Daniil Medvedev.
Speculation arose that the world No. 5 might have been on the brink of disqualification after he appeared to dispute a “not up” call made by the chair official. Attempting to secure the first set against Carlos Alcaraz at 5-3, Medvedev faced a break point and ran for a drop shot, which he barely reached, Wales Online reports.
Despite Alcaraz playing on, the umpire announced the score, indicating she believed Medvedev had not reached the ball in time, resulting in Alcaraz breaking back into the game, reports the Express. The Russian seemed to immediately respond to the umpire’s decision. During the subsequent changeover, Asderaki-Moore stepped down to confer with the referee and supervisor.
BBC commentator Todd Woodbridge speculated: “I am just wondering after this point whether Medvedev has said something to the umpire for the referee and supervisor to come on the court.” His colleague Andrew Cotter added: “He did say something to her but we don’t know what that was. We are possibly finding out what has been said. It’s a huge frustration for Medvedev, trying to serve out the first set.”
Woodbridge expressed his concerns during the game: “This is something serious brewing.”
Amidst the tension, Medvedev remained seated while Alcaraz stood ready to play. The umpire, Asderaki-Moore, gave Medvedev a code violation but allowed the match to proceed.
“Code violation, unsportsmanlike conduct. Warning Mr Medvedev,” she announced.
Tim Henman, who was providing commentary for the BBC, underscored the gravity of the situation, pointing out that another warning could lead to Medvedev losing a point and describing the sequence where the umpire consulted with the supervisor and referee as significant.
“If he was to get another warning then he would lose a point. That was an interesting moment,” Henman detailed. “For the umpire to come off her chair and have the referee and the supervisor on the court.”
After the game resumed, Cotter suggested that there might have been grounds for Medvedev’s default, saying: “I’m sure there will be lots more talk over what has happened at the end and what was said. We’ll talk about it more at a quieter point in this match but there is a chance that Medvedev has gotten away with something other than just getting a violation. Something more. It ought to be discussed.”