Tennis star Daniil Medvedev destroys a camera in outburst during tough Australian Open victory
By Ben Church, CNN
(CNN) — Daniil Medvedev used his racket to smash a camera attached to the net during a tricky opening round win at this year’s Australian Open.
The world No. 5 eventually beat Thailand’s Kasidit Samrej in five sets – 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 – but had grown increasingly frustrated against an opponent ranked 418th in the world.
It all boiled over for Medvedev at the end of the third set, with Samrej serving to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
During a tense point, Samrej got lucky when his shot clipped the net, forcing Medvedev to change direction and sprint for the ball. The Russian star got there in time, but, now off balance, couldn’t do anything about Samrej’s cross-court winner that followed.
As Samrej apologized for his fortunate shot, Medvedev took his frustration out on a small camera positioned in the center of the net, breaking both the camera and his racket in the outburst.
The chair umpire subsequently gave Medvedev a warning for racket abuse.
The 2021 US Open champion went on to lose the third set as Samrej, a wildcard for this tournament, took a step closer to the biggest win of his career at his debut grand slam event.
However, it wasn’t to be for the 23-year-old with Medvedev recovering his composure to claim a tense five-set victory.
Speaking during his post-match interview on court, Medvedev appeared to be in good spirits and didn’t mention his outburst at the end of the third set. Instead, he said how surprised he had been by the level of his opponent.
“If he plays like this every match, his life can be good – money, girls, casino, whatever,” he joked. “I wish he could play like this every match.”
Medvedev, a three-time finalist and last year’s runner-up at the Australian Open, will now face 19-year-old American player Learner Tien in the second round.
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