It was supposed to be a routine finish, but Daniil Medvedev’s night at Louis Armstrong Stadium spiraled into pure chaos. With that unfolded, anyone would’ve been irked, but for Medvedev it turned into an explosive meltdown that stirred the crowd and landed yet another hefty fine for the former US Open champion.

 The former world No. 1 has been hit with a staggering $42,500 fine by the U.S. Tennis Association, nearly £31,50, wiping out about 40% of the $110,000 prize money he earned for reaching the first round. Of that total, $30,000 was for unsportsmanlike conduct, while another $12,500 was tacked on for smashing his racket to pieces against a chair. But the 2021 title holder seemed to know what was coming. “I’m getting a big enough fine, so if I speak, I’m in big trouble, so I’m not going to speak,” he said afterward. He may be keeping quiet now, but the damage he did on court was more than enough to make headlines.

What started as a straight-sets affair veered sharply into pandemonium when Benjamin Bonzi was serving for the match late in the third set. He had just missed his first serve when a photographer, whose presence on court was completely unauthorized, strolled onto the playing surface. The chair umpire, Greg Allensworth, halted play and awarded Bonzi another first serve, a standard response under the rules, but one that instantly ignited Daniil Medvedev’s fury and set the tone for a surreal, six-minute freeze in the match. He later said, “I was not upset with the photographer. I was upset with the decision.” As the crowd’s tension mounted, Medvedev had launched into a blistering tirade:

“Are you a man? Why are you shaking? … He wants to go home, guys. He doesn’t like to be here. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour.” That outburst only encouraged more chaos, as fans chanted and booed. And well, Medvedev was egging them on with “What did Reilly Opelka say? What did Reilly Opelka say?”, a pointed reference to Opelka’s February flare-up, when the American was penalized by the ATP after calling Allensworth the “worst ump on tour.” Louis Armstrong Stadium had turned into a circus ring. 

Finally, the play could resume, and Bonzi could have his “best victory ever,” despite his opponent being there to “put oil on the fire”.  The photographer was escorted from the court by U.S. Open security and had his credentials revoked. The Russian star, on the other hand, got to add yet another fine to the ever-growing list of emotional on-court blow-ups. 

Cast back to Wimbledon 2017, and even the rising young star couldn’t keep it cool. After a brutal five-set loss to Ruben Bemelmans, Medvedev emptied his wallet and flung coins at the umpire’s chair in sheer frustration, a move that earned him $4,000 for a warning, another $3,000 for a point penalty, and a grand total of $7,500 for unsportsmanlike post-match conduct, amounting to $14,500 in fines overall. 

Fast forward to the 2025 Australian Open, and a far more explosive saga unfolded. In the first round, the 27-year-old took out his fury by obliterating a net camera with his racket, an act that alone carried a $10,000 fine. From there, things spiraled: in the second round, he hurled his racket and gear around the court, skipped the required post-match press conference, and further antagonized officials and organizers, costing him an additional $66,000 in penalties. That whopping $76,000 total fine all but swallowed more than half of his tournament earnings. 

This history of fines, at Wimbledon, at the Australian Open, and now at the US Open, goes on to display how Medvedev’s outbursts are less flashes of rare frustration and more recurring episodes of unchecked emotion. As has been the case previously, Medvedev didn’t take much responsibility for the incident, and instead placed the blame on the crowd for the 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4 defeat, saying: “I just expressed my emotions, my unhappiness with the decision, and then the crowd did what they did without me asking them too much, and it was fun to witness.”

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