Daniil Medvedev Explodes at Umpire in US Open Clash as Crowd Roars
Daniil Medvedev lit up the opening round of the US Open with a furious row that stopped play and whipped the crowd into chaos.
Medvedev, still bruised from his first-round Wimbledon exit to Benjamin Bonzi earlier this summer, faced the same opponent under the lights of Flushing Meadows on Sunday, 24 August. The Frenchman once again had the upper hand. Two sets ahead, pressing for the win, and holding match point at 6-3, 7-5, 5-4.
Then came the flashpoint. As Medvedev missed his first serve, a photographer inexplicably stepped onto the court. Chair umpire Greg Allensworth intervened immediately, ejecting the intruder and ruling that Bonzi would replay the point with a fresh first serve.
Medvedev looks deadass into the camera and goes “The ump doesn’t want to be here, he wants to go home”
Unreal stuff in NYC as always for the US Open. pic.twitter.com/hxSptCeOMg
— The Degenerates (@degen_betting) August 25, 2025
Medvedev erupted. The Russian, once ranked World No. 1 and still a towering figure in the sport, stormed up to the umpire’s chair in disbelief.
What followed was a furious back-and-forth that had the New York crowd baying. Some booed, others cheered. Medvedev turned to them for support, dragging the stadium into the dispute.
“He said it was a let, and I should accept it,” Medvedev later recounted. “But in this situation? It’s not fair. Everyone saw what happened.”
Fuelled by rage and buoyed by the noise in the stands, Medvedev fought back. He took the third set, forcing the contest into a fourth, flipping the energy of the night entirely.
This wasn’t just about tennis. It was a reminder of who Medvedev is: the 2021 champion at Flushing Meadows, the man who once toppled Novak Djokovic on the biggest stage, and a player whose combustible energy is part of his armour.
For Bonzi, it was another narrow miss. For Medvedev, another drama-laced survival act. And for the US Open, the message was clear — when Medvedev is in town, nothing comes quietly.
