The US Open descended into chaos on Sunday when a photographer came on to the court as Daniil Medvedev faced match point, bringing the first-round match to a standstill and sparking a spectacular meltdown from the Russian.
Medvedev, the 2021 champion, was eventually knocked out 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4 by France’s Benjamin Bonzi, who threatened to walk off the court at one point and called for the Russian to be disqualified.
Serving for the match at 6-3, 7-5, 5-4, Bonzi was preparing to play his second serve when the photographer stepped on to the court surface. The disruption led the chair umpire, Greg Allensworth, to put Bonzi back on to his first serve, sparking an astonishing outburst from Medvedev.
“Are you a man? Are you a man? Why are you shaking?” the Russian shouted as he stormed towards the chair. “He wants to go home, guys, he doesn’t like it here. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour.”
The match was halted for about six minutes as jeers, whistles and boos rang out around Louis Armstrong Stadium, with fans refusing to stay quiet so Bonzi could serve.
The US Tennis Association said the photographer was escorted from the court by security and that his credentials had been revoked.
The chaos almost proved Medvedev’s salvation. After fending off the match point he broke to level the set at 5-5 before edging the tie-break to force a fourth set. Medvedev looked a completely different player in the fourth set as he dished out a bagel to level the match as his rattled opponent took a medical timeout for what appeared to be a knee issue. Boos from the crowd continued for the remainder of the match, with some fans targeting Bonzi during his service motion.
The final set was much more of a contest, as the match wound down to a nail-biting finish. Spurred on my shouts of “Courage!” and “Allez!” from his box, Bonzi sealed the win with a glorious backhand, with Medvedev returning to his seat and smashing his racket.
“It was crazy. I may have got some new fans, but also some new non-fans,” said Bonzi, the world No 51. “The energy was crazy. Thanks to all who were booing. Thanks for the energy.”
Medvedev becomes the first former champion to exit this year’s tournament, leaving Flushing Meadows after a horrible year at the majors where he managed to get to the second round just once.
“I wasn’t upset with the photographer,” Medvedev told a press conference. “I was upset with the decision. Every time there’s a sound from the stands between serves, there’s never a second serve. But the umpire gave him a first serve. That’s what made me angry.”
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As boos erupted from the night-session crowd, Medvedev embraced the chaos, rallying fans into a frenzy in a scene he later described as “fun to witness”.
“I thought I’m losing the match,” Medvedev said. “I didn’t break him once. So I said, OK, it’s second serve, but they gave him a first. I got emotional. Honestly, while living it, I was like, you know what, it could be fun maybe to finish my career with one match at the US Open.
“I love New York. They did the work. I didn’t do anything. The crowd pushed me to come back into the match.”
Bonzi said he felt Medvedev’s behaviour had crossed the line. “Daniil started it, and he put oil on the fire. He went with the crowd crazy. He went with them. Honestly, I never saw that,” he said. “The rule is the rule. The guy went on the court between two serves. It’s not my call to say first serve. I felt I didn’t do anything bad in the match to receive this treatment, and I didn’t want to serve in those conditions.”
