FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — Daniil Medvedev has been fined $42,500 for his behavior during his first-round defeat to Benjamin Bonzi at the U.S. Open.
Medvedev received a $30,000 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct and a $12,500 fine for racket abuse, according to the Grand Slam rulebook.
The Russian No. 16 seed’s match against Bonzi had descended into bedlam with the Frenchman holding match point, when a cameraperson ran onto the court between his first and second serves. Umpire Greg Allensworth allowed Bonzi to hit his first serve again because of the delay. An incensed Medvedev approached Allensworth’s chair, claiming that Allensworth “wanted to leave” because he gets “paid by the match, not by the hour.” He then shouted toward the camera: “Reilly Opelka was right!” and “What did Reilly Opelka say?”
This was in apparent reference to the American player saying in February that: “The guy (Allensworth) shouldn’t have a job or should be sidelined for about four weeks, maybe learn a thing or two,” after he penalized Opelka for swearing at a spectator at the Dallas Open.
Medvedev had whipped up the crowd on his way to talk to Allensworth, gesturing for noise. The crowd responded by booing throughout the exchange and long after it had ended, with both players standing at the baseline with Bonzi waiting to serve. The noise continued for six minutes, with Bonzi attempting to serve on a number of occasions before retreating with noise ringing in his ears.
Bonzi, who lost the match point when he finally served after the six-minute delay, ultimately won the match in five sets. Medvedev smashed several of his rackets when it was over, before saying in his news conference that “the crowd did what they did without me asking them too much, and it was fun to witness.”
“Daniil started it. He put oil on the fire,” Bonzi said in his conference.
Bonzi moved into the third round on Wednesday after beating Marcos Giron of the U.S. in five sets.
(Photo: Charly Triballeau / AFP via Getty Images)
Aug 28, 2025
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