Prominent tennis pro Daniil Medvedev destroyed a camera and his tennis racket as he faced what could have been a monumental upset. Australian Open by a wild card ranked 418th in the first round of the Grand Slam tournament on Tuesday.
Medvedev’s outburst came during the third set when he lost a 13-shot back-and-forth with Thailand’s Kasidit Samrej to fall behind 40-15. While Medvedev was at the net, Samrej’s shot clipped the net and went out of Medvedev’s reach in a direction he clearly could not have anticipated.
Daniil Medvedev reacts during his first round match against Kasidit Samrej at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Tuesday January 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
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Then Medvedev, triple Australian Open finalist, unleashed his anger online, smashing his racket several times.
In doing so, Medvedev destroyed his racket and a camera that was directly in his path of destruction.
Staff quickly rushed to replace the broken camera and clean up the debris on the field. Medvedev received a code violation warning for racket abuse from the chair umpire.
Daniil Medvedev crushes a television camera with his racket as he loses the third set to Kasidit Samrej in the men’s singles first round match at the Australian Open on January 14, 2025. (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
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Medvedev lost the set to lead 2-1, and it looked like the No. 5 ranked player was going to be eliminated. But Medvedev quickly turned things around to win the next two sets 6-1, 6-2 and advance to the second round.
“At the end of last year, this match, I probably would have lost,” Medvedev said after the match. “New year, new energy.”
Daniil Medvedev’s outburst came during the third set when he lost a 13-shot back-and-forth with Thailand’s Kasidit Samrej. (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Medvedev hopes to start the 2025 season with a victory in Melbourne. A three-time finalist, including at last year’s tournament, Medvedev has never won the Australian Open. His biggest challenger will be Novak Djokovic, who has won more Australian Open titles than any other male player with 10.
