Daniil Medvedev’s second-round match at the Rolex Paris Masters turned into a spectacle off the scoreboard: the fourth seed lost 4-6, 4-6 to Peruvian qualifier Ignacio Buse on Nov. 4, 2026, and afterward declined to shake the chair umpire’s hand after a second-set dispute over racket marks on the court. The result sent Buse into the third round in Paris and left Medvedev’s tournament over in straight sets.
The scoreline alone would have been a minor upset. What made the night memorable was the incident at 4-4 in the second set, when Medvedev repeatedly struck the court surface with his racket, left visible marks, received a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct from chair umpire Adel Nour, walked to the bench and initially refused to continue play.
How the second-set dispute unfolded on Court No. 1
The confrontation began when Medvedev, frustrated at 4-4 in the second set, hit the court with his racket several times and left visible grooves in the surface. Nour issued the code violation, a decision that visibly angered the world No. 5. Medvedev walked to the bench, put his racket in his bag and refused to resume, prompting tournament supervisor Cédric Mourier to come onto Court No. 1 to explain the situation. Eurosport France described the exchange as tense.
Medvedev then raised the idea of stopping the match entirely. “If I retire, what happens? My legs hurt terribly, I can’t play. Shall we call the physio?” he asked the supervisor. Mourier rejected the request, telling him a medical timeout could not be used as a pretext to protest the umpire’s decision and could only be used for genuine physical reasons.
The argument then turned to the umpire himself. Medvedev questioned the basis of the penalty — “So I can’t even hit the ground anymore? Something new every time?” — and pressed Nour on how many times he had actually struck the court. When told approximately five times, Medvedev challenged the figure: “Five times? And what if it wasn’t five times? Will you apologize to me after the match?”
Nour then pointed out that two grooves were visible on the court, and Medvedev immediately seized on the discrepancy: “Two? You just said five!” When the umpire explained that he had struck the surface about five times but left only two more pronounced marks, Medvedev kept pressing — “Will you give me your word it was five times? Approximately? Are you even looking at this court?” — before finally returning to the baseline and resuming play.
C’était tendu entre Medvedev et l’arbitre sur le court n°1… Suivez #RolexParisMasters en intégralité sur Eurosport et HBO Max.
— Eurosport France, Nov. 4, 2026
Buse’s milestone win in Paris
Medvedev never recovered. Buse closed out the match 6-4, 6-4 and booked a place in the third round, a result Tennis TV flagged as historic: the first Peruvian man to record a Top 10 win since 2008.
First Peruvian man to record a Top 10 win since 2008 🇵🇪🙌 Ignaico Buse takes down fourth seed Medvedev 6-4 6-4 to reach the third round!#RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/IalRlQKYTh
First Peruvian man to record a Top 10 win since 2008. Ignacio Buse takes down fourth seed Medvedev 6-4, 6-4 to reach the third round! #RolexParisMasters
— Tennis TV, Nov. 4, 2026
For Buse, the victory was among the most valuable of his career to date. For Medvedev, it was another difficult evening in Paris, one the Russian will not look back on fondly, and the match ended with one final gesture of protest: after the final point, he refused to shake Nour’s hand.
Questions readers are asking about the Medvedev incident
- Why was Medvedev penalized? Chair umpire Adel Nour issued a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct after Medvedev struck the court surface with his racket several times at 4-4 in the second set, leaving visible marks.
- Could Medvedev have called a medical timeout to stop play? No, supervisor Cédric Mourier told him a physio call must be for physical reasons and cannot be used as a pretext to protest an umpire’s decision.
- Why is Buse’s win significant? Tennis TV noted it was the first Top 10 win by a Peruvian man since 2008, with Buse defeating the fourth seed 6-4, 6-4.
- What happens next? Buse advances to the third round of the Rolex Paris Masters in Paris; Medvedev’s tournament is over after the straight-sets loss.
Buse now moves on to the third round of the Rolex Paris Masters, while Medvedev’s Paris campaign ends with the 4-6, 4-6 defeat and the lingering questions about his conduct on Court No. 1.
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