Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev was fined a total of $42,500 by the US Open on Wednesday. It is more than 1/3rd of his total prize money ($110K). This had to do with his reaction against chair umpire Greg Allensworth in the third set after a cameraman disrupted the match, and for destroying his racket in frustration after losing to Benjamin Bonzi in the first round.
Tournament referee Jake Garner fined Medvedev $30K for unsportsmanlike conduct and another $12.5K for racket abuse, according to ESPN.
During the tiebreak in the third set, Allensworth granted the first serve to Bonzi following a disruption by a cameraman. Medvedev took issue with it as he shouted at the chair umpire, and even the crowd rallied behind in support of the Russian.
“He wants to go home, guys. He doesn’t like to be here. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour,” Medvedev shouted.
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At the time, Bonzi was just a point away from winning the match. His first serve was a fault, but after the cameraman wandered onto the side of the court, Allensworth gave another first serve opportunity to the Frenchman.
Daniil Medvedev punishes his tennis racket after another first-round exit
Benjamin Bonzi defeated Daniil Medvedev in the first round at Wimbledon. He did it again at the US Open, knocking out the Russian in the first round of a second consecutive major.
While Medvedev was able to fend off the match point in the third set and eventually forced a fifth set, Bonzi broke his serve to win the five-set thriller, 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4.
While Bonzi celebrated the win, acknowledging the support from the crowd, Medvedev sat in frustration on the bench. He immediately started to hit his racket against the bench, completely destroying the equipment.
This marked another early exit in a Grand Slam tournament this year. Earlier this year, he was defeated by Learner Tien in the second round of the Australian Open and suffered a first-round exit at Roland Garros at the hands of Cameron Norrie.
The likes of Boris Becker and Patrick McEnroe raised concerns about Daniil Medvedev's mental state and urged him to sit out the remainder of the season. For now, the Russian star will regret the way this season has gone and prepare for the tournaments that lie ahead. Events like this will give him a lot of learning, and it remains to be seen if he can move on from such a poor season.
