At the Canadian Open in Toronto, Daniil Medvedev is in the round of 16 – but not without drama. The top seeded Russian received a curious penalty in the 4: 6, 6: 3, 6: 4 against Kazakh Alexander Bublik.
After a tweener Bubliks, Medvedev hit his opponent with the following smash. He immediately apologized with a “sorry” over the net while the rally was in progress.
And for this Medvedev, number 2 in the world rankings, was punished. Not because he met Bublik – but for the apology. The referee judged his reputation to be an adverse effect on the opponent forbidden according to the regulations. Even Bublik had to laugh about it and didn’t know who had done what exactly …
Daniil Medvedev found it less funny and described the decision as “so stupid”. But for him, after progressing, the following applies: all’s well that ends well. The Russian meets the winner of the match between James Duckworth and Jannik Sinner in the round of 16. (R.A.M)
