John McEnroe delivered a scathing assessment of Daniil Medvedev’s shocking meltdown at the US Open.
The former world No. 1 suffered a stunning first-round exit to French qualifier Benjamin Bonzi in one of the tournament’s biggest upsets. But the defeat was completely overshadowed by Medvedev’s childish antics as victory slipped through his fingers.
During the third set, a photographer wandered onto the court just as Bonzi prepared to serve on match point. Medvedev erupted at the umpire’s call to grant his rival a fresh first serve due to the disruption from ‘outside interference’.
He furiously confronted the official before yelling: “Guys, he wants to leave. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour.” Play was halted for approximately seven minutes before Bonzi finally stepped up to serve.
When he did, he double-faulted and Medvedev seized the next two sets to force a fifth. Bonzi, though, fought back to clinch the victory and advance to round two. Medvedev proceeded to destroy his racket in a fit of rage and was subsequently hit with a nearly $42,500 fine by the United States Tennis Association (USTA). The penalty means the Russian must surrender roughly 40 percent of his prize money earnings.
McEnroe was asked about Medvedev’s behaviour on the Nothing Major Show and branded the 29-year-old as ‘lost’ while encouraging him to prevent future embarrassment. “You know, he already has tapped out, like months ago,” the American commentator noted.
“I’ve been worried about his level because he doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing at this point for a guy that good on hard courts.
“This [meltdown] sort of cemented it, like how little confidence he has in anything. Bonzi showed a lot of balls at the end in the fifth set. I was sort of hoping Medvedev would win.
“He’s got to get his act together. I’m not sure he can. I think he’s so lost right now. I’m not sure what’s going to happen with him in the future. I always liked Daniil. There’s something about the US Open that brings out the best and worst of him.”
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Medvedev’s performance on the court this year has been less than stellar, with only one Grand Slam match victory at the Australian Open. He was eliminated early in the French Open and Wimbledon, and suffered another early exit at the US Open.
After his most recent defeat, Medvedev acknowledged that he was expecting a hefty fine. He didn’t reveal much, explaining that he didn’t want to dig himself into a deeper hole.
“I have no idea how much the fine would be,” he said. “I’m getting a big enough fine so if I speak, I’m in big trouble, so I’m not going to speak.”