Daniil Medvedev beats racket into a pulp after emotional rollercoaster vs Benjamin Bonzi

Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev beat his racket to a pulp after his first-round exit at the US Open 2025. Medvedev, a former champion, lost to France's Benjamin Bonzi in a 5-set thriller. Medvedev lost his cool after letting go of the match and ended up taking that out on his racket.

Medvedev went through an emotional rollercoaster in the game. After losing the first two sets 3-6, 5-7, he made an insane comeback in the third set, saving a match point and winning the third via a tiebreaker. Medvedev then blanked a flustered Bonzi in the fourth, handing him a bagel, but ended up losing the 5th set 4-6.

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Bonzi, who lost his composure after a dramatic third set, was able to raise his level at the right time and seal the game 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(5), 0-6, 6-4 in 3 hours and 45 minutes.

The loss at the US Open was Medvedev's third straight first round exit in the Grand Slams this season. He only cleared the first round in the first slam of the year - the Australian Open, where he was knocked out in the second round by Learner Tien in 5 sets.

US Open 2025: Medvedev vs Bonzi

The match was not easy for Benjamin Bonzi either. Through no fault of his own, Bonzi was jeered by the crowd at the end of the third set. The incident occurred when Bonzi was serving for the match in the third set. A photographer walked into the playing area during his first serve, which resulted in a fault.

The umpire ruled that the point had been interrupted due to external interference and allowed Bonzi to retake his first serve. This decision sparked a furious reaction from Medvedev, who argued that Bonzi should be made to hit a second serve instead. Medvedev’s outburst incited the crowd, who turned against both Bonzi and the chair umpire. As a result, play was halted for nearly 10 minutes during the third set.

Bonzi, visibly flustered, lost his game, and eventually the third and the fourth set.

After winning the match, Bonzi stated that he had never experienced anything like this in tennis in his entire career.

“I never experienced something like that. I don’t know. Maybe we waited 5 minutes before the match point. Then it was so difficult to play. So noisy. All the time during the points, between the points it was a very wild atmosphere. I tried to stay calm, stay in the match. It was not easy. At the end, I gave all my heart on the court and I have the win today," Bonzi said after the match on Monday.