A devastated Daniil Medvedev was knocked out of the US Open after a meltdown sparked by a photographer walking on to the court during his first-round defeat by Benjamin Bonzi.
Medvedev has produced some extraordinary moments at Flushing Meadows over the years – but what happened on the 2021 champion’s way to another humbling defeat was perhaps the most incredible.
As the Russian faced match point at 5-4 in the third set, the cameraman walked on to the playing surface between his French opponent Bonzi’s first and second serve.
Cue bedlam as the incident – and Medvedev’s reaction – changed the course of the match.
Medvedev, 29, raged after umpire Greg Allensworth decided Bonzi could have another first serve, whipping the New York crowd into a frenzy and forcing a delay of six minutes and 24 seconds.
Bonzi understandably lost focus as boos rained down and could not serve out victory.
Almost two hours later, shortly before 1am local time, he eventually secured a remarkable 6-3 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 0-6 6-4 win.
“I just expressed my emotions, my unhappiness with the decision, and then the crowd did what they did without me asking them too much,” said Medvedev, who has won just one Grand Slam match this year.
“It was fun to witness.”
The photographer, who appeared to be trying to find a position in the long-lens pit at the side of the court, was later escorted out of Louis Armstrong Stadium by security.
“His credential has been revoked for the 2025 US Open,” United States Tennis Association organisers told BBC Sport.
‘The energy was wild’ – how the drama unfolded
When an inspired Bonzi served for the match in the third set, Medvedev’s recent struggles looked set to continue with a straightforward defeat.
Then the tone of the match – and the whole night – switched in an instant because of the mistake by the unsuspecting photographer.
Allensworth instantly shouted at the man to get off court and gave another first serve to Bonzi, because he deemed the interference to be an unreasonable delay.
Medvedev, who had been subdued to that point, became furious with Allensworth – inciting the crowd by gesturing with his hands as he skipped towards the umpire’s chair to protest.
The former world number one accused the official – who was criticised by American player Reilly Opelka over a decision earlier this year – of “wanting to go home”.
By now, the crowd was frenzied in its support of Medvedev and a chant of “second serve” rang around the court.
Medvedev continued to act as the ringleader before eventually attempting to quieten the boisterous crowd.
During the tense delay, Bonzi told Allensworth that Medvedev should be given a time violation because “he caused this”.
When Bonzi eventually stepped on the baseline to serve, he was disrupted by more boos before finally resuming – and hearing cheers when he missed his first serve.
There were more roars seconds later when he lost the match point with a backhand into the net.
“The energy was wild. It was a crazy scenario,” Bonzi said.
“I have never experienced anything like that. It was so difficult to play, so noisy. But I tried to stay calm – it was not easy.”
Medvedev antics take centre stage again
This is not the first time Medvedev has been the central character on an entertaining night in New York.
On his way to reaching the 2019 final, he assumed the role of pantomime villain as he wound up the American fans.
He was booed for trolling the crowd with his provocative post-match celebrations and interviews, before winning them over with a heroic performance in a five-set defeat by Rafael Nadal in the final.
Two years later, Medvedev received their acclaim after beating Novak Djokovic to win his first major title – and celebrating with a comedic fall to the court inspired by a computer game.
In 2023, he argued with some supporters in a late-night battle against Australia’s Chris O’Connell – but this time Medvedev ensured the crowd was behind him in a desperate attempt to turn the match around against Bonzi.
Medvedev recently opened up about his on-court antics in an enlightening interview with BBC Sport, describing his outbursts as like “honking a car horn”.
But his reaction to losing in the first round of a Grand Slam for the third time in a row was a concerning sight.
Instead of making a quick exit, Medvedev sat disconsolately on his chair before destroying a racquet by repeatedly smashing it against the metal bench holding his belongings.
The six-time Grand Slam finalist broke down in tears and stayed sat as Bonzi began his on-court interview.
Afterwards Medvedev, who looks set to drop out of the world’s top 20, said he felt during the match he wanted to “finish his career”.
Asked if it was the end, he replied: “Not today, but when I’m finishing my career, you never know where you want to do it. Today I was, like, ‘this could be a nice place to do it’.”–BBC
