During the first-set action of his Shanghai Masters semi-final against Rafael Jodar, Daniil Medvedev took issue with a line call that had gone against him. A disputed moment unfolded while Jodar was serving, with the score tied at deuce in the seventh game at 4-2.

A cross-court forehand from Jodar landed on the line, then Medvedev's answering forehand sailed out and was ruled out by the chair umpire. Hawk-Eye footage confirmed the forehand Medvedev struck had landed beyond the baseline by a narrow margin, yet he remained unconvinced by the call. Jodar's forehand drew a challenge from Medvedev, who felt the ball had landed beyond the line.

Umpire Nour told Medvedev that the review system covered only the final stroke of the exchange, adding that the ball on that particular shot had landed in. Under the rules in place, the footage relating to the final shot of the rally could not be broadcast. Nour indicated that the footage could not be aired at that point, adding that it captured the final moment of the rally.

The ball had landed beyond the boundary line, bringing the exchange to a close. Medvedev explained that the ball had appeared to be going out, which was the reason behind his missed attempt. He kept his advice to his opponent brief — watch the ball, and leave it at that.

A back-and-forth exchange unfolded between Medvedev and Nour after the former world number one indicated he might walk away from the match, with Nour clarifying that protocol did not permit a replay to be shown, as the point in question had been the final shot of the rally. Medvedev made clear he had no intention of leaving the court, adding that retirement was a path he was prepared to take. A penalty from the ATP was set to follow regardless.

Medvedev asked to be shown the ball upon his potential retirement, while Nour indicated that displaying it might not be permitted, though she offered to look into whether an exception could be made. After a verification check, Nour received permission to bring the replay to Medvedev's attention. Hawk-Eye footage confirmed Jodar's forehand had landed inside the line, costing the Russian the point.

Covering the Shanghai Masters for a television broadcaster, commentators Naomi Broady and Jonathan Overend weighed in on the exchange after Medvedev indicated he would walk off court unless a replay was shown to him — with Broady expressing a wish that his opponent would test that threat, and adding that the disputed point had not been the final shot of the rally. Overend's position was that Medvedev had sought a review of the penultimate shot in the rally, under the belief it had gone wide despite the electronic line-calling system registering it as good, and that tournament officials could not hold to a policy of displaying only the final point and then step away from that stance the moment a player indicated he might leave the court.

The situation drew descriptions of being unreasonable. A threat to walk away from the match was issued unless the image in question appeared on the screen.

Medvedev stayed in the contest throughout, even as the 20-year-old Spaniard kept the path ahead consistently demanding. Having taken the opening set 6-3, Jodar carried that momentum into the second, breaking serve early to establish a 2-1 lead. Earlier in the month, Medvedev had been disqualified from the China Open after unintentionally striking a ball toward a spectator during play.