Daniil Medvedev was asked by the umpire not to shout at a line judge during his 6-2 6-4 win over Gael Monfils at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Russia’s Medvedev, 28, was leading 6-2 1-2 when he became angry and disagreed with two calls on the baseline and shouted at the official.
Umpire Mohamed Lahyani twice came on to court to check calls and calm him down.
“Daniil please don’t shout at him,” Lahyani said. “He [line judge] can make a mistake as well.”
Despite being 40-15 up in the incident-packed game, the world number four lost his serve and then went 4-1 down before winning five games in a row to seal victory against the Frenchman.
The disagreement began after a shot made by Monfils, which Medvedev returned with a forehand winner, was called out. Lahyani came down to check the call but said it was in and awarded the point to Monfils.
Medvedev was clearly frustrated, particularly as Hawk-Eye showed the shot was out, but continued to play.
On the next point Monfils’ shot was called in but it had gone beyond the baseline. Medvedev started to shout at this point, with Lahyani coming to check the call once again. This time the umpire agreed with the world number four and gave him the point, but he went on to be broken.
Medvedev continued to remonstrate during a change of ends, shouting and swearing at the umpire, and he was seen hitting the canopy of his chair.
After Lahyani said “if I am wrong, I will apologise”, Medvedev replied: “How can you apologise, I lost the freaking game. How did I lose the game when it’s out? It’s out, it’s out… You guys are getting ridiculous, with the Hawk-Eye live you don’t see anything.”
After the match, Medvedev wrote “in or out?” on a TV camera lens, but was seen shaking hands with Lahyani.
He will play compatriot Karen Khachanov in the last 16 on Thursday.
“I am happy I managed to at one moment try to stay calm, to get my composure, that’s what I wanted to do more this year,” he said after the game. “There are going to be moments when I still go crazy… but I am 99% sure the ball was out.
“It’s a pity because I would have won the game and maybe I win 6-2, but I am happy that even from 4-1 I managed to come back to win the set.”
Rublev out as other favourites advance
Elsewhere, play was suspended on Wednesday evening as rain caused disruption to the men’s second round.
Denmark’s Holger Rune, seeded seventh, is up a set against Sumit Nagal of India, while ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov holds a one-set advantage over Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.
Both matches will resume on Thursday.
Earlier, defending champion Andrey Rublev was knocked out in the second round by Alexei Popyrin in straight sets.
Unseeded Australian Popyrin overcame sixth seed Rublev 6-4 6-4 and will play compatriot Alex de Minaur next.
“I am feeling really comfortable,” Popyrin, 24, said. “[I am] happy to beat a guy who was in form, confident and the defending champ.”
Meanwhile, second seed Jannik Sinner is through to the last 16. The Australian Open champion beat American Sebastian Korda in straight sets – 6-1 6-2 – in his first match on clay this year. He will play unseeded German player Jan-Lennard Struff on Thursday.
Two-time champion and 12th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas also reached the third round in a straight set win over Argentine Tomas Etcheverry.
Tsitsipas will play fifth seed Alexander Zverev, after the German beat Austrian Sebastian Ofner on Monday, while eighth seed Casper Ruud defeated Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo 6-2 6-4.
