At the Madrid Open, third-seeded Daniil Medvedev came back from two sets down to overcome Sebastian Korda 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-3.
Most people were drawn to the Russian player’s exchange with the umpire during a change of ends, though, as he kept bringing up the Illuminati in their argument.
During the second set’s changeover, Medvedev inquired as to whether Arantxa Sanchez Stadium’s retractable roof could be closed, pointing out that umpire Nacho Forcadell was protected from the rain by cover.”You don’t need the umbrella at all. It is not raining on us. Might I perhaps close the roof?” questioned Medvedev.
The chair umpire said that he did not make the decision to close the roof.
“All right, now call the person whose choice it is. Call me someone whose decision it is; you stated it’s not yours,” Medvedev shot back.
When Forcadell retorted that “they” had decided to close the retractable roof, Medvedev pulled the conspiracy card.
“Who’s they?” Medvedev retorted. “The Illuminati? The Illuminati?”
Forcadell went on to say that it was not his decision, seemingly oblivious to Medvedev’s irony.
After two hours and twenty-three minutes, Medvedev advanced in the third set after securing the crucial break in the eighth game.
“There were numerous reasons why it was difficult,” stated Medvedev. “He performed admirably. I play as if someone is pushing me in the back since the courts here, with the exception of the middle court, are a little smaller than I would want.
“I feel as like I am being pushed in the back, even though I serve when I don’t require a lot of room. I must learn to cope with this emotion and learn when to intervene.
“I need to rediscover my rhythm, but I performed better and better in both games. I definitely want to start the next match the same way I did in the third, especially if you are playing increasingly difficult opponents. However, you are content if you win games.”
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