China Open: Daniil Medvedev finally runs out of chances with disqualification against Novak Djokovic

It is hard – and probably unwise – to take your eyes off Medvedev’s matches, and he is very popular with the media for his engaging, reflective and humorous interviews once the dust has settled.

But he has gone too far on court on many occasions, with much of his aggression directed at umpires.

At Wimbledon in 2017, a 21-year-old Medvedev was so incensed about some of the decisions made by umpire Mariana Alves in his second-round match that he sprinkled coins at her feet as she climbed down from the chair.

He later apologised and denied he was accusing her of bias.

Two years ago, again at Wimbledon, it appeared officials were considering defaulting Medvedev for an outburst towards umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore.

Medvedev claimed he said something in Russian which was “not pleasant, but not over the line” – and, after a discussion between the umpire, supervisor and tournament referee, he escaped with a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct.

He was fined more than £60,000 for his behaviour at the 2025 Australian Open, which included trying to destroy a net camera, and had an infamous meltdown later that year at the US Open.

On a rowdy New York night, Benjamin Bonzi had match point for a straight-set win against Medvedev in the first round when a photographer inexplicably walked on to court between his first and second serves.

Umpire Greg Allensworth awarded the Frenchman another first serve because of the delay, sparking fury from Medvedev.

Medvedev accused Allensworth of hoping to engineer a quick finish – as he gets paid by the match, rather than the hour – and there was a pause of over five minutes as he whipped up the crowd.

He did save the match point, but went on to lose in five sets before obliterating his racquet by smashing it repeatedly against the table next to his chair.