Daniil Medvedev‘s US Open first round clash descended into chaos Sunday night when the former champion was left suffering a furious meltdown at the umpire.
The Russian world No 13 began his campaign at the Grand Slam with a matchup against unseeded Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi on the Louis Armstrong court.
However, the match was delayed by over six minutes between points in the third set when Medvedev let loose a heated tirade at chair umpire Greg Allensworth over his decision to award Bonzi an extra serve.
Bonzi was serving for the match leading 5-4 in the third set after winning the first two with the advantage in deuce.
After he missed his first serve, a photographer left his position before the Frenchman could hit his second, scampering down the sideline in the hope of catching Bonzi’s moment of celebration.
However, noticing the score, the photographer quickly realized his error and attempted to make a quick escape.
Former winner Daniil Medvedev’s US Open opener descended into chaos Sunday night
A photographer left his position and walked on to the court too early causing a disruption
As a result, chair umpire Greg Allensworth awarded Benjamin Bonzi a first serve
Allensworth told the photographer to get off the court, then announced that Bonzi would get another first serve because of the delay.
‘First serve. Ladies and gentlemen, because of the delay caused by an onside interference, first serve has been granted,’ he called.
While the decision is common in tennis, Medvedev was left seeing red. The 2021 US Open winner stormed over to the chair umpire, encouraging the crowd to boo.
‘Are you a man? Are you a man?’ he asked Allensworth. ‘Why are you shaking? What’s wrong huh? Guys, he wants to leave. He gets paid by the match not by the hour.’
‘What did Reilly Opelka say?,’ Medvedev repeatedly shouted to the crowd as he continued to rile them up.
Earlier this year, Opelka was fined by the ATP Tour for branding Allensworth the ‘worst ump on tour.’
Medvedev kept encouraging the loud boos on Louis Armstrong Stadium, which eventually lasted so long that he then tried to get fans to quiet down so Bonzi could serve.
When he finally did, he double-faulted, and Medvedev won the game and later the set in a tiebreaker to prolong the match.
Medvedev saw red at the chair umpire’s decision launching into a heated tirade
The Russian riled up the crowd and encouraged them to boo by shouting into the microphones
A US Tennis Association spokesman later said the photographer was escorted from the court by US Open security and his credential was revoked.
Medvedev went on to level the match, dominating the fourth set 6-0 to help extend his hopes of a comeback victory.
In one wild moment, later in the match, Medvedev was caught making a graphic celebration in victory. However, it is unclear if it was directed at the umpire or the crowd in general.
Yet, Bonzi dug deep, producing a Herculean effort in the fifth set to hold on for the match victory, despite the on-court drama.
And the defeat sparked yet another meltdown from Medvedev who continued to spiral, long after his clash with the umpire.
Following the end of the match, he was caught on the broadcast repeatedly smashing his racket on his bench, stealing Bonzi’s triumphant moment from him.
It was reminiscent of Medvedev’s 2019 match on the same court, when fans booed him for his antics and he later said in his post-match interview that the crowd gave him energy.
Medvedev had snatched the towel from a ballperson during the match and was given a code violation by umpire Damien Dumusois. Medvedev then threw his racket in the direction of Dumusois, barked something at him and later flashed his middle finger next to his forehead as he walked past the umpire´s chair, actions that led to him being fined $9,000 for that match.
Medvedev was knocked out of the US Open by the unseeded Frenchman in the five-set thriller
The Russian was caught repeatedly smashing his racket on his bench after his defeat
Medvedev reached the final that year, then won the title two years later. But he has struggled this year in the majors and was upset by Bonzi in the first round at Wimbledon.
In February, Opelka was also left furious at Allensworth that he received a point penalty while serving for the match in the third set against Cameron Norrie at the Dallas Open. Opelka went on to win 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4.
The 27-year-old American was penalized for using profanity while berating a member of the crowd. Opelka said the unidentified fan was repeatedly and intentionally disrupting his serve.
After the match, Opelka said umpire Greg Allensworth failed to stop the fan from disrupting play.
‘Worst ump on tour,’ Opelka said. ‘He’s real bad. Almost changed the outcome of that match just because he doesn’t really know what he’s doing. And he got emotional, when we were arguing. … He didn’t tell (the fan) to shut up? He was doing it for, like, three points. He didn’t do his job, so I had to tell him, ‘Get out of here.’
