Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz's awkward Wimbledon row as wife overheard cheating claim

Tennis fans were looking forward to a potential duel between Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz in the early rounds of Wimbledon. And not just for the fact both are among the men's elite, but because the pair were once tangled among allegations of cheating in practice.

Both Medvedev and Fritz were drawn in the same section of this year's men's singles competition and could have clashed in the fourth round. That was until the former suffered a shock defeat to Benjamin Bonzi on Monday and was ousted from the running. Meanwhile, Fritz's first-round match against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard was suspended after reaching Monday's curfew. This comes some seven years after the world No. 9 was accused of "cheating" by rival Fritz at SW19. The incident allegedly took place at Wimbledon in 2018, where it's said Medvedev's wife overheard Fritz accuse the Russian of cheating. Medvedev revealed the story at last year's US Open, though both players can look back on the incident now and smile.

When asked if he had ever experienced cheating during a practice match, former US Open champion Medvedev replied: "I have one funny story. I don't know if Taylor remembers it, Taylor Fritz. If he can tell it, you can ask him next press conference from his side.

"We played Wimbledon. It would probably be 2018 or '19. So long ago. We both were not where we are right now. Brutally honest, I don't want to cheat [in] practice, but you know, sometimes you don't see the ball.

"It's like a challenge. Today I asked to show replay, and the ball was so much in, and in my head it was really close. Okay, it happens. So we're playing, and I don't remember exactly what it was, but I called some out where I thought the ball was out."

Medvedev continued down this protest of innocence before explaining how his spouse, Daria, came to play a role: "Then my wife - I think at the time she was even maybe a girlfriend to me - talks to me after the practice and says that he was talking to his coach and was like, 'Damn this guy, he cheats all the time.'

"I was so shocked because I really, especially [in] practice, I honestly don't really care if I win in practice set or lose. I always try to win, but whatever. To be honest, out of everyone on the tour, I don't think anyone [in] practice wants to cheat. So he was, like, apparently not happy with me."

World No. 5 Fritz responded to the claim that suggested he had been caught in the act of complaining. But he explained the situation away as being "not that deep."

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"Yeah, I heard about this," he said in response last year. "I don't fully remember it. I think if I said something... I feel like I remember that maybe he just gave me a bad call. I do it all the time.

"Like if someone makes a bad call in practice, I'll turn to my coach and be like, 'He just hooked me so bad there,' or 'Gave me such a bad call.' I don't really care, I know no one's trying to do it on purpose. I make a comment, like yeah, that was a really bad call.

"But if that happened, that's what happened. I wasn't, like, 'Oh, he's cheating me so bad,'" he said with a smile. "Definitely, it's not that deep."

Medvedev has since said he and his American counterpart now share a "good relationship" after coming a long way. However, he stopped just short of agreeing he and Fritz are quite friends.