Daniil Medvedev had a day to forget as his Wimbledon campaign came to an unexpected end in the third round. He squandered away his lead three times in a row as Jan-Lennard Struff capitalized to record a 7-6, 7-6, 7-5 victory. Though Medvedev’s exit made headlines, there was also a moment from the match that led to Wimbledon receiving flak.

The incident took place during the third set when the World No. 9 was serving at 5-2. Struff had the advantage and was just a whisker away from clinching a crucial break. It was during this point that Medvedev’s backhand would end up going through the net and land inside the baseline. Though this meant that the point had to be awarded to the Russian, Struff had already noticed that the ball had passed through a hole in the net and started protesting.

Knowing how crucial the point was, Medvedev also didn’t lag far behind and argued his own case with the chair umpire. “How else would it be in the court in your opinion?” he was heard asking the umpire.

“Well, to be honest, it’s very difficult for me to see,” the umpire replied. As she replayed the point on her monitor, she noticed that the ball was below the net as it passed through a hole. Thus, she had no choice but to award the point and the game to Struff. The incident hearkens back to a 2022 Laver Cup sequence featuring Roger Federer. The Swiss hit a remarkable shot through a hole in the net. Realizing what had happened, he immediately acknowledged the mistake and conceded the point. The same, much to Medvedev’s chagrin, happened yesterday.

“Ladies and gentlemen, as you can see, the ball indeed went below the net, through the net. Therefore, the point goes to Mr. Struff,” she stated.

Though Medvedev would have felt unlucky with the way the point went, he had no one but himself to blame for the straight-set defeat. The Russian led by a break in all three sets and had chances to dominate Struff’s serve even more. But he didn’t take them and won just four out of the 12 break points that he created during the match.

The 30-year-old was in a commanding 5-2 lead in the third set and was expected to mount a comeback. But instead, he ended up faltering big time and got his serve broken three times in a row as Struff won five consecutive games to secure a monumental result. This loss means Medvedev has failed to advance beyond the fourth round in seven consecutive Grand Slams. He has been on quite a disappointing run in the majors this year, having suffered a fourth-round exit in Melbourne and a first-round upset in Paris.

After the match, Medvedev admitted that he needs to play better and pointed out his weaknesses during the clash against Struff.

Daniil Medvedev expresses disappointment after early exit at Wimbledon

“I should do better,” he said during the post-match press conference. “I didn’t manage to serve exactly the way I wanted. I didn’t manage to play the way I wanted in the tie-breaks, because even if you’re serving for the set or whatever, you can still win the set after. He was better in the important points today. I am really disappointed.”

The Russian further admitted that this season hasn’t gone the way he envisioned so far. Though he has secured two titles and amassed a solid record of 30-11, he hasn’t been able to deliver in big tournaments.

“Up and down, and a bit more on the downside lately. But what can I say? I’m really disappointed, because I felt like I could potentially do well at Wimbledon. It’s not only about the result. It’s also about the game you play. I know that when I play well, I can make a good result or a good match. Today was not the case… But there were some good moments this season, as well. The only way is to go forward and try to do better next time,” he added.

His form has significantly dipped since the clay swing. His only notable run of the season came at the Italian Open, where he reached the semifinals before being eliminated by Jannik Sinner. The grass-court season didn’t prove to be anything great for Medvedev either. He was stunned by World No. 45 Kamil Majchrzak in the semis of the Libema Open and fell to Daniel Altmaier, who ranks 52 places below him, in the last eight of the Terra Wortmann Open.

With the grass swing now behind him, Medvedev will be shifting his focus to the hard courts. Serving as his strongest surface, the Russian will aim to turn around a mixed campaign and rack up strong results from the onset.