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Daniil Medvedev destroyed a camera attached to the net as the former World No 1 and three-time Australian Open finalist had a meltdown during his match against Thailand’s Kasidit Samrej.
Medvedev, a former US Open champion, was behind in the third set with the wildcard Samrej, who is ranked 418th in the world, and took five furious swings into the net with his racket after Samrej passed him with a winner.
The Russian fifth seed broke his racket while obliterating the small camera pinned to the centre strap, with the visual feed cutting out immediately as Medvedev took out his frustration.
An angry Daniil Medvedev takes out the net camera at the Australian Open.
As seen and heard on the ESPN2 broadcast. 🎾😡🎥📺😵💫 pic.twitter.com/x1UyC4r0hX
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 14, 2025
He received a warning from the chair umpire and was booed by the fans in the Rod Laver Arena, while a ball-kid was required to sweep up the pieces of Medvedev’s broken racquet from the court.
And to add to Medvedev’s anger, Samrej won the third set a few moments later to take an unlikely lead on the against the former runner-up.
Medvedev reached the Australian Open final for the third time last year but became the first player in grand slam history to lose multiple finals from two sets up when Jannik Sinner came from behind to win the title.
The 28-year-old, who has recently celebrated the birth of his second child with his wife Daria, struggled for form over the second half of last season – despite reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals and US Open quarter-finals.
Medvedev will have to win another five-set match if he is to advance to the second round.