Out in the 2nd round at the Australian Open: last year’s finalist Daniil Medvedev was eliminated very early. The Russian had already faced an embarrassment in his opening match. A completely unsuccessful start to the year. This time too, he took out his anger on his bat and a camera.
In his first round match against the world number 418. Kasidit Samrej from Thailand, the 28-year-old fought his way to victory. This game also lasted five grueling sets and apparently infuriated Medvedev. With great anger, he hit the edge of the net with his racket, destroying not only his racket but also a small camera attached to the net.
Contenance – apparently a foreign word
He then commented somewhat smugly about the camera: “It broke, yes. But nothing broke” – in contrast to his bat. “I don’t think a camera like this is very expensive”said the 1.98 m giant, but a penalty for his freak out could significantly reduce his prize money. According to “statista”, tennis players will receive 200,000 Australian dollars (about 120,000 euros) for reaching the second round – and the fine could be up to 80,000 dollars.
In the defeat against Tien, Medvedev also hit the ball into the edge of the court, threw his racket and kicked over a camera – but this time without destroying it. The player certainly doesn’t gain any sympathy points from this; he seems to need to let his frustration out in this way. And this time it definitely didn’t help him.
Once again until late into the night
Another issue for the players is likely to be the stress of the evening games, which – as was the case at the US Open last year – can last late into the night. When Tien converted his match point, it was 2:53 a.m. local time. The 19-year-old showed great stamina against the star and thanked the fans: “Thanks for staying so long.”
In 2024 there had already been clear criticism of the tournament planning at the US Open. The retired British tennis professional Andy Murray complained: “Tennis scheduling is a complete mess. It looks so amateurish when matches happen at 2, 3, or 4 in the morning. Fix it.”Murray wrote to the organizers of the major tournaments.
There have also been increasing critical voices among women. US star Coco Gauff said some time ago: “I definitely think it’s not healthy and it’s not fair for those who have to play so late because it ruins their schedule.” The late games are a big thorn in the side of ex-professionals and the players’ union.
Medvedev knows short nights
Medvedev, however, is probably somewhat used to going to bed late or having sleepless neighbors. A year ago, his match against Emil Ruusuvuori only ended at 3:40 a.m. And shortly before the Australian Open, the Russian became a father for the second time. As is well known, children can turn night into day – and throw people off their feet in other ways.