Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev has been fined $42,500 by the U.S. Open for his actions during and immediately after his first-round loss to France’s Benjamin Bonzi on Sunday night in New York.
The total fines, issued by tournament referee Jake Garner, included $30,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct and another $12,500 for racket abuse.
With Medvedev facing match point in the third set, Bonzi missed on his first serve and was preparing for the second when a photographer appeared to mistakenly step onto the court.
Chair umpire Greg Allensworth announced that Bonzi would be given another chance at his first serve “because of the delay caused by an outside interference.”
Medvedev was not happy. The 2021 U.S. Open champion berated Allensworth at the chair and insulted him while leaning into a microphone to address the crowd. Even as he was walking back onto the court, Medvedev used arm gestures to encourage the crowd to continue expressing its displeasure with the decision, although he eventually motioned for the fans to calm down.
“I just expressed my emotions, my unhappiness with the decision,” Medvedev said later. “And then the crowd did what they did without me, without me asking them too much. And it was fun to witness.”
The disruption lasted for roughly six minutes. Medvedev ended up winning that point and set, then won the next set as well. Bonzi recovered in the fifth set for a 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4 win, after which Medvedev was seen repeated destroying a racket by smashing it on the court and against a sideline chair.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
