By Simon Jennings
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Daniil Medvedev's turbulent relationship with the U.S. Open took another dramatic turn on Sunday as the former champion was shown the door by France's Benjamin Bonzi at the end of a chaotic first-round encounter.
Medvedev brought the match to a standstill for about six minutes while staring down match point in the third set, disputing an officiating decision after a photographer had interrupted Bonzi's serve by stepping onto the court surface.
Chair umpire Greg
Allensworth's decision to give Bonzi a first serve instead of a second after the interruption sparked Medvedev's fury.
"I wasn't upset with the photographer," Medvedev told a press conference. "I was upset with the decision.
"Every time there's a sound from the stands between serves, there's never a second serve. But the umpire gave him a first serve. That's what made me angry."
As boos erupted from the night-session crowd, Medvedev embraced the chaos, rallying fans into a frenzy in a scene he later described as "fun to witness".
"I thought I'm losing the match," Medvedev said. "I didn't break him once. So I said, okay, it's second serve, but they gave him a first. I got emotional.
"Honestly, while living it, I was like, you know what, it could be fun maybe to finish my career with one match at the U.S. Open.
"I love New York," he added. "They did the work. I didn't do anything. The crowd pushed me to come back into the match."
Bonzi said he felt Medvedev's behaviour had crossed the line.
"Daniil started it, and he put oil on the fire. He went with the crowd crazy. He went with them. Honestly, I never saw that," he told reporters.
"The rule is the rule. The guy went on the court between two serves. It's not my call to say first serve. .... I felt I didn't do anything bad in the match to receive this treatment, and I didn't want to serve in those conditions."
The defeat caps a terrible year at the majors for Medvedev, who ends 2025 with just one win across the four Grand Slams.
"I'm playing bad, and in important moments, even worse," he said. "Serve, return, volley — everything."
(Reporting by Simon Jennings in New York; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
