'I knew it five minutes ago!': Daniil Medvedev vindicated after pressing Mohamed Lahyani
The No. 3 seed made his case that play should stop Saturday due to rain at 4-4 in the first set of his Rome semifinal with Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Another day, another spirited chat between an ATP player and chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani.
During Saturday’s second men’s semifinal at Rome’s Internazionali BNL d'Italia, increasing rain impacted conditions. Daniil Medvedev, who saw his break advantage wiped away by Stefanos Tsitsipas when the 2022 finalist unloaded on an inside-in forehand winner, wasn’t thrilled with how long the two had been kept on court.
“It’s raining heavy, as you see,” Medvedev said when Lahyani asked him to approach with the scoreboard tied at 4-4 in the first set.
The Swede wanted the competitors to play on, stating that Medvedev had just served under the same conditions.
“But I didn’t want to serve. I knew you would not let me stop,” said the 2021 US Open champion.
As Lahyani continued, Medvedev raised his voice and pitch. “But I didn’t want to serve!”
Lahyani then conceded he would pause the match if both players agreed it was best to stop. While he went to check the lines, Tsitsipas sat in his chair.
“We have been playing like this for eight games now,” Lahyani told Medvedev as the No. 3 seed kept pleading his case. “It’s the same as before.”
Well, maybe not. Just over a minute later, Lahyani said, “it’s getting heavier now.”
“I know it’s raining. It’s obvious,” a smiling Medvedev uttered while gesturing his hands.
Another minute or so passed, before the players were told to exit the court.
“I knew it five minutes ago!” proclaimed Medvedev.
By 7:30 p.m. local time, the match was yet to resume as inclement weather continued to wreak havoc.