Nothing was going right for Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday, and he threw a whopper of an on-court tantrum.
The seventh-seeded Russian tennis star was embarrassed by Matteo Berrettini, 6-0, 6-0, in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters and let his emotions get the best of him in the second set, when he went on a racket-smashing spree.
Medvedev, 30, hit a forehand return into the net to drop the second game of said set, triggering a meltdown that began with him throwing his racket toward the wall behind him.
The 2021 U.S. Open champion then picked the racket up, walked a few paces and then slammed it into the clay surface, bending it out of shape.
He proceeded to smash the racket four more times, completely destroying the racket.
Medvedev then calmly put the racket into a trash bin behind his bench.
The final stats were ugly for Medvedev, who had a first serve percentage of just 36 percent against Berrettini with five double faults and just 17 points won.
It appears Medvedev has a lot of soul searching to do before next month’s French Open.
While the current world No. 10 has had some recent success — he won a January tournament in Brisbane and a February tournament in Dubai — it’s been a while since he’s looked like a threat to win a grand slam.
He was ousted in the fourth round of this year’s Australian Open, a year after he was eliminated in the second round in Melbourne.
But he couldn’t make it out of the first round at the French Open, Wimbledon or U.S. Open in 2025.
His last grand slam final appearance came at the 2024 Australian Open, where he lost to Jannik Sinner.
Clay hasn’t been kind to Medvedev, who has reached just one quarterfinal at the French Open, where he has been eliminated in the first round in six of his nine appearances at Roland Garros.
