Medvedev dishes out anger, ends a slump year in Slams

Daniil Medvedev is no stranger to breaking racquets on court. Neither are his theatrics a rare sight. But in those few minutes he spent in the Louis Armstrong Stadium after a loss, the tall Russian had a meltdown not quite seen before.

- Shahid Judge

Normally, a player would quickly pack up the bags and leave immediately after a loss — sometimes a few racquets are destroyed along the way. That's what protocol would have dictated late on Sunday night as well, as 13th seed Medvedev lost 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(5), 0-6, 6-4 to France's Benjamin Bonzi in the first round of the US Open.

But the 29-year-old remained seated. He handed six racquets from his bag to the spectators. The one that he had used minutes earlier against Bonzi was smashed on the court, and whatever was left of it was hit repeatedly on the bench.

Medvedev buried his face in a towel for a few seconds before again hitting the racquet on the bench. He then sat quietly, head down, breathing heavily, distraught and staring into nothingness as the waiting Bonzi, prompted by the organisers, began his on-court interview.