NEW YORK (AP) — Daniil Medvedev's match was delayed more than six minutes between points Sunday night, after a photographer entered the court on match point and the 2021 U.S. Open champion became enraged by the chair umpire's decision to award his opponent a first serve.
The latest Medvedev meltdown on Louis Armstrong Stadium led to a wild change in the match. The No. 13 seed was a point away from being eliminated, then won the next two sets to force a deciding fifth before Benjamin Bonzi eliminated him
from a second straight major with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4 victory that ended early Monday.
“It’s kind of crazy, this match,” Bonzi said. “For me, it’s like my best victory ever.”
And he blamed Medvedev for making it a tense one, saying he believed the Russian's behavior crossed a line.
“I mean, the rule is the rule. The guy went on the court between two serves,” Bonzi said. “I mean, it’s not my call to say first serve. And I think, yes, Daniil started it, and he put oil on the fire.”
Bonzi had just hit his first serve leading 5-4 in the third set. After he missed it, a photographer left his position and began walking along the side of the court.
Chair umpire Greg Allensworth told the photographer to get off the court, then announced that Bonzi would get another first serve because of the delay — which is common in tennis. Medvedev then approached the chair to complain about the decision.
“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 into the microphones behind the chair.
Medvedev said after the match that he didn’t believe the interference from the photographer was long enough to warrant restarting the point.
“I was not upset with the photographer. I was upset with the decision,” Medvedev said. “The delay from the photographer was probably four seconds and a half. I’m not sure it’s enough for a (first) serve.”
Medvedev also shouted “What did Reilly Opelka say? What did Reilly Opelka say?” as he backed away from Allensworth's chair. Opelka was penalized by the ATP Tour in February after calling Allensworth the “worst ump on tour. ”
Medvedev wouldn't elaborate on that part of the exchange during his press conference.
“I’m getting big fine enough, so if I speak I’m in big trouble, so I’m not going to speak,” he said. “Everyone knows what I talked about when I said Reilly. Reilly got fined big-time for this, so I’m going to get a big fine, too.”
Medvedev blew kisses to fans and kept encouraging the loud boos, which lasted so long that he then tried to get fans to quiet down so Bonzi could serve. When Bonzi finally did, he missed the first serve and then lost the point, and Medvedev won the game and later the set to prolong the match.
Bonzi, who had fans chanting his name at times, appeared ready to serve at one point before some started whistling. He explained that he didn't want to hit because it's difficult to play tennis without being able to hear the sound of the ball.
“Every time I went on the line to serve and every time I did that, everyone was booing. I felt I didn’t do anything bad in the match to, like, receive this treatment, and I didn’t want to serve in those conditions,” Bonzi said. “So I was waiting.”
It was reminiscent of Medvedev's 2019 match on the same court, when fans booed him for his antics and he later taunted the crowd in his post-match interview, saying the jeers gave him energy. Medvedev had snatched the towel from a ballperson and was given a code violation by umpire Damien Dumusois. Medvedev then threw his racket in the direction of Dumusois, barked something at him and later flashed his middle finger next to his forehead as he walked past the umpire’s chair, actions that led to him being fined $9,000 for that match.
Medvedev reached the final that year, then won the title two years later. But he went just 1-4 in Grand Slam tournaments this year and was also upset by Bonzi in the first round at Wimbledon.
Medvedev sat in his chair for a few minutes after the match and repeatedly smashed his racket before eventually departing.
A U.S. Tennis Association spokesman said the photographer was escorted from the court by U.S. Open security and his credential was revoked.
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This story has been corrected to show that Bonzi lost the point on match point. A previous version stated that he double-faulted.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
