The 2025 US Open is on, and it looks like the first round is already packing some serious heat, literally! During the third set of the match between Daniil Medvedev and Benjamin Bonzi, things got a little too contested. The Frenchman faulted his first serve of the match point in the third set, when the ball hit the net. However, the match umpire noticed a stray photographer who had wandered onto the court and gave Bonzi a chance to replay the first serve. Chaos ensued.

Medvedev didn’t take the decision too kindly and was seen charging at the match official. Hurling insults at the umpire, Daniil Medvedev not only riled up the fans, but also made the official fume with his antics. And now the Russian has realized that he’s probably going to get penalized for his deeds.

The Tennis Letter took to X on August 24 to share how Daniil Medvedev refrained from causing more trouble during the post-match presser. Losing to Bonzi, Medvedev has now exited three straight Grand Slams in the first round. Understandably, he wasn’t keen on attracting more flak. Instead, he was heard admitting that what he did on the court might result in some serious backlash. “I‘m getting a big enough fine so if I speak, I’m in big trouble so I’m not gonna speak,” said Medvedev, while recalling how Reilly Opelka got himself in trouble for talking too much.

Daniil was referring to when Opelka drew the ATP Masters’ ire. With the same chair umpire, Greg Allensworth, Reilly Opelka landed himself in hot water earlier this year at the Dallas Open, round of 16. Opelka believed that a spectator had been coughing deliberately to distract him from the game and that Allensworth was the “worst ref on the ATP” and that “he’s real bad”.

Allensworth’s lack of action against a coughing spectator, according to Opelka, had the power to change the outcome of the match. In another incident involving Reilly Opelka, who, after calling chair umpire Nacho Forcadell an “idiot,” was slapped with a jaw-dropping $90k fine, a number which he made public only recently. But while his actions still divided the tennis community, Medvedev’s reaction to the umpire’s call on Sunday at Flushing Meadows was something that really didn’t sit well with the fans.

When umpire Greg Allensworth decided to allow Bonzi another first serve, with the Frenchman up 5-4 in the third set, Daniil seemed to have lost it. An irate Medvedev tossed racquets from his bag toward the fans, earning him thunderous boos from the audience. Bonzi, understandably, lost focus and declined to serve unless things settled down. The scenes halted the match for over six minutes. Luckily, he managed to maintain composure and after a couple of more hours, bagged a 6-3 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 0-6 6-4 win over Medvedev.

“I just expressed my emotions, my unhappiness with the decision, and then the crowd did what they did without me asking them too much,” said the Russian star later. However, while Medvedev did attempt to downplay the incident, he was in for more penalties than just a fine, which could potentially turn out to be a pretty hefty amount. “His credential has been revoked for the 2025 US Open,” the United States Tennis Association organizers told the BBC.

But these aren’t what’s making Daniil grumble. Instead, it’s his own lack of good results that is taking a toll on the former world No. 1. “I’m playing bad and in important moments, even worse. Everything: serve, return, volley, whatever… I just need to play better, and I’m going to try to do it next year,” Medvedev vowed to bounce back from the ongoing slump.

But while Medvedev’s antics gave the US Open a scintillating start, it wasn’t something his peers could rally behind anyway.

Daniil Medvedev has to warily walk a lonely road

On Sunday, the final Grand Slam of the year kicked off thunderously. Among other things, Alexandra Eala’s emphatic feat was the talk of the town at the Big Apple and beyond. The Filipino tennis star pulled off a major upset win over the 14th seed, Clara Tauson, and burst into the history books. Rallying from 1-5 down, Eala became the first tennis star from her country to win a main draw match at a Grand Slam tournament. Must feel pretty special, indeed! And despite witnessing the historic moment, Medvedev’s outburst remained the most-discussed topic after the opening day at this year’s US Open.

Taylor Fritz also weighed in on the controversy. “Photographer walking on court when he’s not supposed to could’ve just changed the entire match,” the American wrote in an X post, before going on to explain how Medvedev’s subsequent actions could have a detrimental effect on Bonzi’s composure. “Unless bonzi hits a huge first serve and gets a free point off the pause, then the whole thing is actually really bad for him,” Fritz said, while replying to a fan’s comment on X, underscoring how sitting on a match point for 10 minutes has its adverse effects.

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