Daniil Medvedev lost his cool during his US Open defeat (Picture: ESPN)
Daniil Medvedev was knocked out of the US Open after a meltdown sparked by a photographer walking onto the court.
Medvedev faced match point at 5-4 in the third set when a cameraman casually strolled onto the court between Benjamin Bonzi’s first and second serve.
Due to the delay between points, umpire Greg Allensworth decided to let Bonzi have another first serve but his decision left Medvedev and the New York crowd furious.
A delay of six minutes and 24 seconds ensued as Medvedev angrily approached the chair umpire to vent his frustration and the crowd passionately booed.
Medvedev was heard asking Allensworth ‘are you a man?’ and ‘why are you shaking?’ before accusing him of wanting to ‘go home early’.
The 29-year-old also referenced comments made by American player Reilly Opelka in which he described Allensworth as the ‘worst ref in the ATP’.
The former US Open champion whipped the crowd into a frenzy by encouraging the boos as Bonzi patiently waited to resume his service game.
Full video of the Medvedev-Bonzi-umpire-photographer drama that COMPLETELY changed the match. Gotta feel for… Benjamin. Had to stand for 6 minutes before serving on match point while the stadium turned into a circus. A mess. pic.twitter.com/wkEz3B4K6B
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) August 25, 2025
Medvedev smashed his racket after the first-round loss (Picture: Getty)
After the lengthy delay, Bonzi lost focus and was unable to serve out victory, with Medvedev breaking on his way to winning the third set in a tie-break.
The momentum was fully with Medvedev as he won the next set to love but Bonzi responded to take the decider and progress to the second round.
The photographer who caused the drama was later escorted out of Louis Armstrong Stadium by security and has been banned from covering any more matches at the US Open.
Benjamin Bonzi came through an epic battle (Picture: Getty)
‘His credential has been revoked for the 2025 US Open,’ United States Tennis Association organisers said in a brief statement.
Bonzi, meanwhile, appeared to take a swipe at the fans inside the stadium after booking his place in the second round.
‘The energy was wild,’ the world number 51 said. ‘Thanks for all those who were booing – thanks for the energy in the fifth set.
Medvedev arguing with US Open umpire Greg Allensworth (Picture: Getty)
‘It was a crazy scenario. I have never experienced anything like that. It was so difficult to play, so noisy. But I tried to stay calm – it was not easy.’
Medvedev sat disconsolately on his chair after losing in the first round of a Grand Slam for the third time in a row.
The Russian proceeded to destroy his racket by repeatedly smashing it against a metal bench holding his tennis bag.
Speaking after the defeat, former world number one Medvedev raised doubt over his future in the sport.
Asked if it was the end, he replied: ‘Not today, but when I’m finishing my career, you never know where you want to do it. Today I was, like, “this could be a nice place to do it”.’
Bonzi will face local favourite Marcos Giron in the next round of the US Open. Jannik Sinner is the defending champions in the men’s draw.
Wimbledon champion Sinner begins the defence of his title against Vit Kopriva, while his main rival Carlos Alcaraz takes on Opelka.
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