Daniil Medvedev namedrops Rafael Nadal in explosive on-court tantrum over being punished

Daniil Medvedev wasted no time in questioning an umpire at the Shanghai Masters after being slapped with a code violation. The Russian battled through to secure a 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 victory over Learner Tien in Wednesday's round of 16 clash, though the encounter was marred by a heated exchange.

The tennis star was penalised for his prolonged serving ritual before exploding at official Mohammed Lahyani during a break in proceedings - insisting that Rafael Nadal was notorious for his leisurely approach to serves throughout the entirety of his career.

Addressing the umpire mid-match, the 29-year-old said: "You don't care that all my life I've been serving and waiting for Rafa for 55 seconds. And you give me a code violation on the first occasion, huh?

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"I played Rafa five times. There was not one time I was ready to serve and he was ready to return. He didn't get a time violation.

"Why do I get a time violation? To me, today, at the slightest thing you give it to me. I always waited to return, and you didn't give it to him. You're crazy. Completely crazy," reports the Express.

Yet Medvedev wasn't the only one believing that Nadal should have been allowed his leisurely pace during matches without penalty. The comments section beneath footage of the explosive confrontation between Medvedev and Lahyani shared on social media was swamped with tennis supporters also highlighting apparent double standards.

One wrote: "Medvedev is not wrong though," while another added: "[Denis] Shapovalov said the same thing about Nadal at AO22. Either the rules apply equally for all or they don't apply to anyone!"

A third claimed: "He's spot on there. Rafa played the system and the officials were too scared to do anything," while a fourth said: "He's only saying facts. Rafa always got away with slow playing."

Speaking after his victory, meanwhile, Medvedev reflected on the challenging examination that was delivered by Tien during their clash.

Asked about what discussion he held with his team during the match, he said: "Zero, zero. It doesn't help.

"I should be more calm. Learner drives me nuts. He's an unbelievable tennis player. I lost two very strong matches against him, so for sure I was scared to lose again.

"I'm really happy that I managed to cross the finish line. The match was up-and-down, but I'm very happy that I managed to win."

Thanks to his victory, Medvedev now progresses to the quarter-finals of the tournament, where he will face ATP No. 7, Alex de Minaur. Holger Rune, Valentin Vacherot, Zizou Bergs, Novak Djokovic, Arthur Rinderknech and Felix Auger Aliassime also remain in the tournament.