The umpire branded a ‘small cat’ by Daniil Medvedev has poked fun at the Russian star ahead of Australian Open final
Chair umpire Jaume Campistol has landed on his feet after being the subject of a telling-off from Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev during his Australian Open semi-final win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in which the Russian branded the match official as a “small cat”.
Medvedev was subsequently fined $12,000 for his outburst which stemmed from his accusation that Tsitsipas was receiving on-court coaching from his father Apostolos – something which is strictly outlawed in the rules of tennis.
“Oh my God, how can you be so bad in the semifinal of a Grand Slam?” a scornful Medvedev could be heard saying to Campistol.
“You understand, right? If you don’t [give him a coaching warning], you are – how can I call it – a small cat,” he later added.
The unique, somewhat lost in translation insult was taken by some to be Medvedev’s way of calling the umpire a “p***y“, and subsequently launched a torrent of memes on social media.
— Fantasy Tennis League (@FantasyTennisL1) January 28, 2022
