Daniil Medvedev smashes racket, camera during firefight while avoiding distractions at Australian Open
Top-ranked tennis pro Daniil Medvedev destroyed his camera and his tennis racket as he faced what could have been a monumental upset in Australian Open by wild-card entry to No. 418 in the first round of the Grand Slam tournament on Tuesday.
Medvedev’s outburst it came during the third set when he lost 13 shots back and forth with Thailand’s Kasidit Samrej to fall behind 40-15. While Medvedev was in goal, Samrej’s shot clipped the net and went out of Medvedev’s reach in a direction he clearly could not have foreseen.
Daniil Medvedev reacts during his first round match against Kasidit Samrej at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
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Then Medvedev, triple Australian Open finalist, vented his anger at the net, smashing his racket several times.
In doing so, Medvedev destroyed his racket and the camera that was directly in his path of destruction.
The staff quickly rushed to replace the broken camera and clean up the debris on the field. Medvedev received a warning for violating the code due to racket abuse by the referee.
Daniil Medvedev smashes a television camera with his racket as he loses the third set to Kasidit Samrej in their men’s singles first round match at the Australian Open on January 14, 2025. (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
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Medvedev dropped the set and trailed 2-1, and it looked like the No. 5 seed would face elimination. But Medvedev quickly turned things around and won the next two sets 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the second round.
“At the end of last year, this match, I probably would have lost it,” Medvedev said after the match. “New year, new energy.”
Daniil Medvedev’s outburst came during the third set when he lost 13 back-and-forth shots against Thailand’s Kasidit Samrej. (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
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Medvedev hopes to start the 2025 season with a win in Melbourne. A three-time finalist, including last year’s tournament, Medvedev has never won the Australian Open. His biggest challenger will be Novak Djokovic, who has won the most Australian Open titles of any other male player with 10.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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