Wimbledon umpire climbs off chair as ‘something serious is brewing’ in Medvedev vs Alcaraz

Drama unfolded in the first men’s semi-final at Wimbledon when umpire Eva Asderaki left her chair to confer with officials during Daniil Medvedev’s match against Carlos Alcaraz. BBC commentators noted that “something serious” seemed to be happening when Asderaki spoke with the supervisor and referee before returning to give Medvedev a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Speculation arose that the world No. 5 was close to being defaulted after he appeared to take issue with a “not up” call against him. The incident occurred when Medvedev was trying to serve out the first set at 5-3 and faced a break point. He chased down a drop shot but struggled to make it. As Alcaraz continued playing, Asderaki called the score, believing the ball had bounced twice before Medvedev hit it. This allowed Alcaraz to break back and stay in the set.

Following the call, Medvedev seemed to say something to the umpire. During the next changeover, Asderaki got off her chair to discuss the situation with the referee and supervisor. BBC commentator Todd Woodbridge speculated that Medvedev’s words to the umpire prompted the officials’ involvement. His colleague Andrew Cotter mentioned that while Medvedev did say something to Asderaki, the specifics were unclear.

Woodbridge described the situation as “something serious brewing.” Medvedev remained at his bench while Alcaraz stood at the baseline. Upon returning to her chair, Asderaki announced a code violation for Medvedev but allowed play to continue. Tim Henman, also commentating for the BBC, emphasized the significance of the umpire’s decision to speak with the supervisor and referee, noting that another warning would cost Medvedev a point.

As play resumed, Cotter suggested that Medvedev narrowly avoided a more severe penalty, hinting at potential further discussions about the incident. Despite the drama, Medvedev recovered to take the first set in a tiebreak, winning 7-6(1) after 58 minutes. However, Alcaraz currently leads after the third set.