Quote of the Day: Daniil Medvedev just said “something in Russian” to umpire during Wimbledon tirade

Daniil Medvedev came this close to being defaulted from his Wimbledon semifinal match on Friday, as a heated exchange with the chair umpire sent armchair lip-reading experts into a tailspin on social media.

The Russian sparked a fierce debate after receiving a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct during the first set against Carlos Alcaraz. With Medvedev serving at 5-3, Alcaraz had struck a dropshot that his opponent struggled to track down—resulting in a “not up” call from umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore.

Read More: Carlos Alcaraz battles past Daniil Medvedev to reach second straight Wimbledon final

Her call gave Alcaraz a crucial break back, and caused Medvedev to say something to Asderaki-Moore in response. It wasn’t quite clear exactly what he said, but it’s definitely clear what it looked like he said:

Whatever was said, his words caused Asderaki-Moore to call up the supervisor during the next changeover and, after conferring, she returned to her chair and gave Medvedev a code violation. He would go on to win the first set but ultimately lose the match, as defending champion Alcaraz rallied for a 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory on Centre Court.

So what exactly did Medvedev say to the umpire? He dodged answering in a post-match press conference, and claimed that he “didn't say anything too bad”—it was just “something in Russian”:

Q: In the first set where the umpire judged the ball wasn't up on your side, what was your view of it? What did you say to her?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I don't know if it was double bounce or not. I thought no. That was tricky.

The thing is that once long ago at Roland Garros against Cilic I lost, and she didn't see that was one bounce. So I had this in my mind. I thought, again, against me.

I said something in Russian, not unpleasant, but not over the line. So I got a code for it.

Q: Was it the 'small cat'?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I would say 'small cat', the words are nice, but the meaning was not nice here. The meaning was better (smiling).

Whether it was actually “f*ck you” in English or “something in Russian”, the moment triggered fierce discussion on social media and raised several questions:

Should Medvedev have been defaulted right away? After all, it was just a few months ago in Dubai that his countryman Andrey Rublev was immediately ejected from his own semifinal for allegedly calling a line judge a “f*cking moron” in Russian—though video review later revealed he didn’t actually say the expletive.

Read More: Hubert Hurkacz asks to “change the umpire” after heated Roland Garros clash

And, just how much disrespect toward umpires is the tennis community willing to tolerate from players? Just one Grand Slam ago at Roland Garros, Hubert Hurkacz went on a bizarre mid-match rant trying to get Alison Hughes swapped out for another umpire, referring to the Gold Badge umpire as “this lady” as he protested her call—which video replay later revealed to be correct. Cult favorite Jelena Ostapenko is well known for her many legendary rants against various umpires, some of which have gone viral over the years.

Of course, whenever there’s a discussion about a disputed call there’s always the question of VAR, or video assistant referee, and video replay. Specifically, why do major tennis tournaments continue to eschew the already available technology that would clear up these contentious on-court moments once and for all? Why shouldn’t Medvedev be allowed to challenge a “not up” call when there’s a place in the Wimbledon final on the line?

“The thing is that I think it would be so much easier with a challenge system,” Medvedev told press after the match. “The challenge system shows a bounce. So if there was a bounce, it would show it. If we use it, we would never have this situation.

“I don't know why (we) don't use the challenge system for double bounce, the Hawk-Eye or whatever.”

No. 3 seed Alcaraz moved into his second consecutive Wimbledon final, where he’s booked a mouthwatering rematch with seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.