Rafa Nadal was dragged into an argument between Medvedev and the umpire: "You never penalized him even once!"

In the fourth round of the Shanghai Masters, Medvedev delivered a thrilling win. The 29-year-old Russian experienced cramping late in the second set but bounced back to beat American Learner Chen 7-6(6), 6-7(1), 6-4. Throughout the match, Medvedev showed great resilience, especially considering he had to retire due to cramping during the Beijing semifinal eight days earlier and couldn’t finish the deciding set. This time, he overcame his physical struggles and launched a strong comeback to secure the victory.

“I think the toughest part was that we had played twice before, and in my opinion, he’s an incredible player because his serve isn’t great, and serving is very important in tennis,” Medvedev said. “He’s only 19, ranked in the thirties globally, and still improving. To me, he’s a very talented tennis player.”

“He has a great feel for the game. Nowadays, many players hit every ball hard and have excellent serves, which keeps them competitive. He doesn’t have those advantages but still plays very well. For me, beating him… I thought I was going to lose. I started cramping again, so turning it around made me really happy.”

However, Medvedev found himself embroiled in controversy again, this time at the 2025 Shanghai Masters, when he lost his temper at chair umpire Rayani. The Russian player even referenced the retired Nadal in his outburst to express frustration over being penalized.

Medvedev faced American rising star Learner Chen in Wednesday’s quarterfinals, marking their third meeting this season. The American had won the previous two encounters, placing a psychological burden on Medvedev.

The match started well, with Medvedev taking the first set in a tiebreak and going up 3-0 early in the second. Yet, haunted by past defeats, the former world No.1 was broken back and the second set also went to a tiebreak.

This time, Learner seized the edge in the small points. At that moment, Medvedev lost his composure and yelled at umpire Rayani, who had called a time violation against him for delaying during return while Learner was ready to serve.

After being penalized, Medvedev fired back by recalling his matches against Nadal. He argued that Nadal always made opponents wait but was never penalized, whereas Medvedev received a violation the first time in Shanghai. He openly called the umpire “crazy” and expressed strong dissatisfaction with the decision.

Medvedev angrily said, “I have always waited for Rafa when serving; he takes 55 seconds every time, yet today you gave me a violation on my very first offense. I played Rafa five times, and never once was I ready to serve while he was already ready to receive. He has never been called for a violation. But you penalize me for the slightest thing. I’ve always waited for him to be ready; you never penalized him. You’re crazy, completely crazy.”

Despite this, Medvedev lost the second set but rallied to win the final set 6-4, advancing to the Shanghai Masters quarterfinals.

After defeating Learner, Medvedev will face Australian player Deminal in the quarterfinals. Deminal defeated Borges in the round of 16 and has yet to drop a set in this tournament.

If Medvedev beats Deminal, he will meet either Aliassime or Lindgren in the semifinals, and could face Djokovic again in the final.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Spark)