Mumbai: Daniil Medvedev is no stranger to breaking racquets on court. Neither are his theatrics a rare sight. But in those few minutes he spent in the Louis Armstrong Stadium after a loss, the tall Russian had a meltdown not quite seen before.
Normally, a player would quickly pack up the bags and leave court immediately after a loss – sometimes a few racquets are destroyed along the way. That’s what protocol would have dictated late on Sunday night in New York as well, as 13th seed Medvedev lost 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(5), 0-6, 6-4 to France’s Benjamin Bonzi in the first round of the US Open.
But the 29-year-old remained seated on his bench. He handed six racquets from his bag to the spectators. The one that he had used minutes earlier against Bonzi was smashed on the court, and whatever was left of it was hit repeatedly on the bench.
Medvedev buried his face in a towel for a few seconds before again hitting the racquet on the bench. He then sat quietly, head down, breathing heavily, distraught and staring into nothingness as the waiting Bonzi, prompted by the organisers, began his on-court interview.
In many ways, Medvedev’s behaviour would be considered disrespectful to the victor. It also represented the kind of outings he has had in this year’s Grand Slams. The loss capped what has been a forgettable season for the former world No.1 – that too at a venue that saw him reach the final three times, winning the title in 2021.
“I’m playing bad, and in important matches, even worse,” Medvedev said in his post match press conference. “Everything: serve, return, volley, whatever… I just need to play better, and I’m going to try to do it next year.”
In the 2025 season, Medvedev has only managed to win one Grand Slam match, that too coming from two-sets-to-one down to beat then world No.418 Kasidit Samrej of Thailand, in the Australian Open first round. He lost the second round to 19-year-old Lerner Tien in another five-setter. At the French Open, he lost in five sets to Cameron Norrie and was shown the door in four sets by Bonzi at Wimbledon.
The tally of one match won at the majors matches his run in 2017, his first full season on tour. He had reached the second round at Wimbledon that year, losing in the opener in the other three Slams.
The only bright sparks in Medvedev’s season were the semi-final finish at Indian Wells and reaching the final at Halle in June. His last title came at the Rome Masters in 2023.
As it turned out, it turned out to be his final Grand Slam match of the season and involved a typical Medvedev outburst.
Bonzi, with former world No.37 singles player Nicolas Mahut as his coach, got off the blocks quickly, playing consistently to win the first two sets. In the third, he broke Medvedev’s serve to go up 5-4 and was to serve for a spot in the second round.
On match point however, chaos ensued.
Bonzi’s first serve went into the net. As he prepared for the second serve, a photographer stepped on court to make his way to the dedicated area. Chair umpire Greg Allensworth awarded the Frenchman a first serve, prompting Medvedev to approach the chair in protest.
“Are you a man? Are you a man? Why are you shaking?” Medvedev was heard saying to Allensworth, before looking at the broadcast camera and saying, “He wants to go home, guys, he doesn’t like it here. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour.”
Then the Russian egged the spectators on to make as much noise as they could. The New York crowd obliged, and how.
With cheers and jeers aplenty, play stopped for over five minutes with even Medvedev eventually asking the spectators to calm down. Once play resumed, Bonzi’s rhythm was broken and Medvedev ended up breaking the Frenchman’s serve for the first time in the match.
From staring at match point, Medvedev launched an almighty comeback. From two-sets-to-love down, he managed to level the match, forcing the decider.
Bonzi though managed to regroup. This despite struggling with a leg injury that saw his first serve speed drop to the mid-80s mph. His groundstrokes, however, remained strong. And on his second match point, he angled a backhand that his 6-foot-6 opponent could not get enough racquet on.
A racquet that would bear the brunt at the end of an unenviable season at the Slams.
