Daniil Medvedev has been one of the most successful players in tennis over the past six years.
Since 2019, the Russian has cemented himself as a top star in the sport, hoisting six Masters 1000 titles, an ATP Finals crown, and a Grand Slam trophy.
Medvedev achieved world number one status in 2022, becoming the first man to do so outside of the ‘big four’ in almost 20 years, snapping the dominance of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
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He is also perhaps one of the more controversial characters of this generation, with the former US Open champion splitting the opinions of fans due to his many outbursts on the court over the years.
One of the first flare-ups of his career came at the Wimbledon championships back in 2017, when Medvedev was incredibly frustrated at one of the tournament’s umpires.
Daniil Medvedev’s second-round exit at Wimbledon in 2017
Medvedev had enjoyed a fantastic start to his Wimbledon campaign that year, knocking out fifth seed Stan Wawrinka on Centre Court in round one, in what marked a huge upset.
After his win over the three-time major champion, a second-round assignment in the form of Belgian player Ruben Bemelmans, who reached a career-high of world number 84, seemed a much easier task.
It was anything but, as Bemelmans took a two-set lead, which Medvedev managed to turn around to force a fifth set.
Medvedev went 2-0 up in the decider, but lost five straight games amid a number of controversial calls from the umpire, Mariana Alves.
The then-21-year-old was docked a point by Alves after the two got into a heated exchange.
He ultimately lost 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, and proceeded to throw coins at the umpire’s chair.
While it may have seemed as though he was suggesting Alves was biased with her calls by emptying his wallet in front of her, Medvedev refused this was the case.
As per the Guardian, he explained: “It was stupid, but it was not like this.
“It was just that I was packing my things, and I saw my wallet. In the heat of the moment, I did a stupid thing.
“I was ready to leave the court, but that’s what happened. I don’t even remember what the coins were.
“I was just frustrated, so it has no meaning.”
Medvedev earned £57,000 in prize money for reaching the second round at Wimbledon in 2017, but a portion of that cheque was taken away from him due to his behaviour.
He was fined £11,200 for his actions towards Alves, which equated to roughly $14,500 at the time.
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Daniil Medvedev’s apology for the incident at Wimbledon
When asked if he requested the removal of Alves during the match, Medvedev said: I don’t actually remember what I said. It was a long match … very hot out there.
“I was disappointed with the result. It was frustrating after a big win. The match was not going well for me. In the heat of the moment, I did a bad thing.
“I apologise. Sometimes you are unhappy with the call. Sometimes it’s in your favour. It happens.”
In the years that followed, Medvedev continued to struggle at Wimbledon, until 2023, when he reached the semifinals.
He made the final four again the year after, but suffered a first-round exit in 2025.
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