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Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev asked fans whether the balls he played were "in or out" in a cheeky victory message after a heated argument with the chair umpire in his second round win at the Monte-Carlo Masters over Gael Monfils.
Medvedev lost his cool at the chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani following some crucial mistakes from the line judges where they ruled the ball out twice when he was serving at 30-0 in the fourth game of the second set. The Russian prevailed over Monfils 6-2, 6-4 to win the match.
The chair umpire requested Medvedev not to shout after admitting that the linesman made an error. The Russian looked dominant in a lengthy rally when one of the Frenchman's shots was called out. Daniil Medvedev, who is ranked No. 4 in the world, hit a clean winner but didn't get the point after the umpire came down to check the ball mark and awarded the point to Monfils.
However, in the hawkeye shown on TV, the ball was clearly out. There was another mistake on the next point when one of Monfils' shots, which landed beyond the baseline, was called in. This time, however, the chair umpire intervened correctly calling the ball out and awarded the point to Daniil Medvedev.
"In or out," Medvedev asked in a cheeky victory message referring to the close line calls in the match while signing his autograph on the camera.
After two consecutive blunders, Lahyani urged Medvedev not to blow up the issue. The chair umpire told the Russian not to shout and stated that the linesman can make mistakes.
Daniil Medvedev couldn't close out the game with Monfils eventually breaking his serve and racing to a 4-1 lead. Though the Russian stayed quiet during the game, he vented his anger at the chair umpire during the changeover. He screamed that it was a freaking joke and wondered how he lost the game when the ball was out.
Daniil Medvedev to face Karen Khachanov in the next round at Monte-Carlo Masters
Daniil Medvedev will face compatriot Karen Khachanov next at the Monte-Carlo Masters. Medvedev has beaten Khachanov five out of the six times they have faced each other on the tour. Incidentally, all their matches have happened on hardcourts.
Their match-up at the Monte-Carlo Masters will be the first time they square off against each other on clay. The No. 4 seed has beaten Khachanov in their last three matches with all three wins coming in 2023.
Medvedev beat Khachanov in the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International in 2023 in straight sets. He prevailed in three sets in the semifinals of the Miami Open last year. Medvedev next won against Khachanov in straight sets in the quarterfinals of the Vienna Open.
