Daniil Medvedev mocked rival Alexander Zverev moments after he was soundly beaten by Holger Rune in Monte Carlo.
World number four Medvedev defeated Zverev this week in a thrilling three-setter, fighting back from dropping the first set to win 3-6 7-5 7-6 (9-7).
But his luck ran out against Rune in the quarter-finals, going down 6-3, 6-4.
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The Russian broke back to 2-2 in the fourth game of the second set, but swiped his racket on the ground in frustration after losing the match. Medvedev was looking to reach his sixth straight final this year, having won four titles in 2023.
But it was clear Medvedev had Zverev on his mind as he went to the net to shake hands with Rune.
As they meet at centre court, Medvedev appeared to reference comments made by Zverev after the loss earlier in the week, telling the Dane “you played unfair” while shaking hands.
Zverev, who also lost to Medvedev in three tight sets at Indian Wells last month, slammed the Russian during his post-match presser at Monte Carlo, criticising his lack of sportsmanship.
“He is one of the most unfair players we have in the world,” Zverev said. “He tries to do everything when he’s behind. He did it in Indian Wells, he did it here.”
Medvedev took several toilet breaks and even removed one of the net posts during his clash with the German.
“I take fairness and sportsmanship very, very seriously and unfortunately he has none of that,” Zverev added.
“The rivalry we have is incredible. We’ve played each other so many times, but one of the reasons why Roger and Rafa were so popular and the rivalry was appreciated all over the world was because they were always fair to each other.
“Unfortunately you can’t say that about him and that’s just a real shame for me as an athlete.”
Medvedev was later asked about Zverev’s comments, and said he might have to visit him in the changeroom if the verbal attacks continue.
“First, I do think that honestly with probably 90 players on tour I’m great friends,” he said.
“So I usually feel bad when something on court happens and let’s say I’m not fair play, because I know sometimes I’m not.”
“(But Zverev) is living in his own world. I already had like five players in the locker room coming to me and saying, ‘Come on, Daniil, why are you so unfair?’,” Medvedev added with a smile.
“When he loses, we can find maybe 25 interview of him where he does say some strange things … when he says someone is not fair play, you’re like, OK great. Look at yourself in the mirror.”
“It doesn’t disappoint me at all, but again, if in one week he’s going to continue saying, well, I’m going to come to him in the locker room and say ‘let’s discuss what’s wrong’,” Medvedev said.
“Tell me, I’m gonna tell you, and maybe we never gonna speak again and we are gonna be enemies or whatever. But at this moment I don’t care much.”
Rune, who staged a comeback to beat Djokovic and win the Paris Masters last November, is aiming for his first title of the year.
The 19-year-old Dane next plays Italian Jannik Sinner, who is 21.
The seventh-seeded Sinner eased past No. 16 Lorenzo Musetti 6-2, 6-2 in an all-Italian quarterfinal to reach his third straight semifinal at Masters level this season.
“I felt great today on the court. I’m hitting the ball in the right spots in the right moments,” Sinner said. “I tried to stay aggressive, which I’ve done.”
Sinner broke Musetti twice in the second set and converted his first match point with a strong first serve that Musetti returned long.
The 21-year-old Sinner lost to Medvedev in the Miami Masters final two weeks ago and was beaten by second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz in the semis at Indian Wells before that.
American Taylor Fritz upset two-time defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-4 to set up a clash with Andrey Rublev.
It means the top three seeds have now been knocked out of the clay-court tournament following 22-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic’s exit in the third round on Friday.
Tsitsipas was on a 12-match winning streak on the Cote d’Azur, where he claimed his two Masters 1,000 titles.
“I stuck to the strategy of pulling the trigger and not letting him dictate with his forehand,” the eighth-seeded Fritz said.
Tsitsipas broke back to 4-4 in the second set, but then Fritz broke his serve easily for 5-4 and closed out the match with an ace for a love hold.
“I thought my level today was very high. I think I played a very good match. Beating him here gives me a lot of confidence,” said Fritz, who hit 17 winners. “It has given me the reassurance I need to know I can play well on clay.”
Fritz has won five career titles, including two this year, but none on clay.
The 2022 Indian Wells champion next faces fifth-seeded Rublev, after the Russian beat German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff 6-1, 7-6 (5).
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