“Didn’t utter a word for Rafael Nadal” - Fans react as Daniil Medvedev sends "peaceful" retirement message to umpire from "small cat" saga
Daniil Medvedev's retirement message for umpire Jaume Campistol has sparked discussions among tennis fans. Campistol and Medvedev were famously involved in a heated discussion when the Russian lashed out at the chair umpire during his semifinal match against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2022 Australian Open.
Medvedev was irked by what he saw as Tsitsipas' father Apostolos' incessant coaching during the match and eventually lashed out at Campistol for not taking any action.
Towards the end of their argument, the 28-year-old told the umpire if he didn't take any further action, he would be a "small cat."
Medvedev did apologize to the umpire after the match. It is worth noting that Campistol did give Tsitsipas a warning later. The incident became famous among the tennis fraternity.
Now with Jaume Campistol set to retire, Daniil Medvedev took to X (formerly Twitter) to send him a playful retirement message. He wrote:
"Man a lot of fun memories on the tennis court😂😂😂 Wishing you a peaceful retirement."
Following this, fans left humorous replies to Medvedev's tweet.
One joked about how the Russian didn't write anything for Rafael Nadal, who hung up his racket at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals:
"No way he tweeted this especially considering he didn’t utter a word for Rafa"
Another fan joked about Medvedev sending Campistol into retirement:
"You made him retire before he turned even 45"
Here are some more fan reactions:
"The most Daniil tweet ever I live for it," a fan said.
"'Small cat' what a legend!" a fan wrote.
"Therapist: 'So Daniil, there's a certain person in tennis who's retiring. He had a historic and an iconic Australian Open 2022. You remember this for sure, because you were part of it. It was an intense battle - very emotional. Also...he's Spanish.' Daniil Medvedev:" a fan quipped.
"Never forget the day after when Jaume Campistol posted this, Medvedev met his match," a fan said.
Medvedev went on to lose the final against Rafael Nadal, in what is popularly known as the 'Miracle in Melbourne'.
"Ahh! That's what it means" - When Daniil Medvedev realized meaning of "small cat"
Earlier this year, Daniil Medvedev and his coach Giles Cervara were in a conversation with Brody on the Broadcast Boys podcast. The host brought up Medvedev's infamous altercation with Jaume Campistol and questioned the Russian if he knew what "small cat" meant.
Medvedev said that he wanted to say kitty and was left exclaiming that "everyone was talking about it" to him, when he found out what the phrase also meant.
"I wanted to say Kitty. But I forgot uh…"
"What kitty means?," Cervara asked.
"P***y," Brody said.
"Ahh! That's what it means. That's why everybody’s talking to me about it. Everyone is talking to me about it."
In 2024, Daniil Medvedev didn't have the best of seasons. He failed to win a title and fell to World No. 5 in the rankings. However, he still managed to qualify for the ATP Finals but was eliminated in the group stages.