Daniil Medvedev smashes racket, camera during fiery outburst as he avoids Australian Open upset
Top-ranked tennis pro Daniil Medvedev destroyed a camera and his tennis racket as he faced what could have been a monumental upset in the Australian Open by a wild-card entry 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-stroke back-and-forth with Thailand’s Kasidit Samrej to fall behind 40-15. With Medvedev up at the net, Samrej’s shot clipped the net to go beyond Medvedev’s reach in a direction he clearly could not have anticipated.
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Then Medvedev, a three-time Australian Open finalist, unleashed his anger on the net, smashing his racket several times.
In the process, Medvedev destroyed his racket and a camera that was situated directly in his path of destruction.
Staff quickly rushed to replace the broken camera and clean up the debris on the court. Medvedev was given a code violation warning for racket abuse from the chair umpire.
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Medvedev dropped the set to trail 2-1, and it looked as though the No. 5 ranked player would face elimination. But Medvedev quickly turned things around to win the following two sets 6-1, 6-2, and advanced to the second round.
"In the end of last year, this match, I probably would have lost it," Medvedev said after the match. "New year, new energy."
Medvedev is hoping to start out the 2025 season with a win in Melbourne. A three-time finalist, including in 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 than any other men’s player with 10.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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