There appears to be no end in sight for Daniil Medvedev’s slump. Not only are the days of Medvedev’s Grand Slam contention in the distant past, but signs of his burnout are becoming more pronounced on the court.<\/p>\n
On Thursday night, the tenth-seeded Medvedev took on the 18-seeded Alexei Popyrin in the third round of the Canada Masters in Toronto. Popyrin pulled off a comeback victory to defeat Medvedev in three sets: 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.<\/p>\n
As we have seen so many times before, Medvedev diffused his anger with on-court antics during the match. When down 1-3 in the second set, Medvedev wildly whiffed on a backhand and immediately played it off by mimicking looking for the ball.<\/p>\n
Another Meddy moment \ud83d\ude05@DaniilMedwed<\/a> #NBO25<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/lqaEmVXdpM<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 1, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Medvedev went on to drop the second set and the decider. It was yet another early exit for the Russian star, who has zero titles this year and only two semifinal appearances with one final match.<\/p>\n Medvedev was gracious in defeat, shaking the hands of Popyrin and the chair umpire. Afterwards, he proceeded straight to the locker room, leaving his racket bag behind.<\/p>\n The video went viral as announcers and fans saw it as comical, but it felt more metaphorical for the 29-year-old dealing with burnout.<\/p>\n Medvedev leaves his bag on court after loss, walks straight to locker room \ud83d\ude02\ud83d\udeb6\u200d\u2642\ufe0f#NBO25<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/lrzT681cWi<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 1, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Luckily, Medvedev did not blow up on the court as he has been known to do. By the end of the 2024 ATP season, Medvedev was regularly throwing his racquets during matches and expressing his frustrations with tennis balls and umpires alike.<\/p>\n Medvedev’s frustrations carried over into 2025 when he was fined $76,000<\/a> for his behavior at the Australian Open. More recently, Medvedev tore up his bench after losing to Corentin Moutet in the DC Open.<\/p>\n \ud83e\udee3 Medvedev absolutely chucks a racket and metal bottles about, after losing to Moutet <\/p>\n WILD match point \ud83c\udf7f pic.twitter.com\/Nob1jPkSgO<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Olly Tennis \ud83c\udfbe\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 (@Olly_Tennis_) July 25, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Medvedev is a fan favorite thanks to his play style and personality. Hopefully, he can recapture his title-winning form. But first, he must start finding joy in the game again.<\/p>\n Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated’s\u00a0Serve on SI\u00a0for all the most important news from the sport.<\/p>\n Carlos Alcaraz is preparing for a late hard court season run.<\/a><\/p>\n Coco Gauff wins first match since Roland Garros.<\/a><\/p>\n Naomi Osaka tests out Iga Swiatek’s ex-coach in Montreal.<\/a><\/p>\n Breaking down Leylah Fernandez’s lululemon kit from the DC Open<\/a><\/p>\n Leylah Fernandez soared in WTA Rankings after winning the DC Open.<\/a><\/p>\n