What the heck just happened at the U.S. Open? Mayhem in the crowd as Medvedev melts down

They say tennis needs villains.

(It also, apparently, needs a $32 Cdn signature cocktail, but that’s a thread for later on.)

Tennis, a sport of etiquette and tradition, is also known for the occasional player who brings the drama. The spice. The public meltdowns, the confrontational behaviour, the racket-smashing, crowd-dividing “what just happened?” moments of mayhem in between rounds of smacking a ball back and forth.

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On Sunday at the U.S. Open, Russia’s Daniil Medvedev arguably nailed the role. And the scene in the crowd, perhaps aided by a few “honey deuce” cocktails, was pure chaos.

“He smashed rackets, insulted the umpire, incited the crowd — and of course still lost,” wrote social media disinformation influencer Pekka Kallioniemi.

“Not sure who’s more classless, Medvedev or the crowd. Bonzi did not deserve that,” wrote another commenter.

It’s not the first time Medvedev has sparked a Flushing Meadows crowd into a rage, but it’s usually directed at him.

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So what, exactly, happened?

Photographer enters court, mayhem ensues

It started with a misstep.

The match between firebrand Medvedev and French rival Benjamin Bonzi descended into mayhem after a photographer entered the court on match point. Bonzi had just hit his first serve, leading 5-4 in the third set. After he missed it, a photographer left his position and began walking along the side of the court.

Chair umpire Greg Allensworth told the photographer to get off the court, then announced that Bonzi would get another first serve because of the delay — common in tennis.

A U.S. Tennis Association spokesperson said security escorted the photographer from the court, and his credential was revoked.

But then, Medvedev launched a tirade at the official before orchestrating a chorus of boos raining down from the stands.

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“Are you a man? Are you a man? Why are you shaking?” he shouted as he stormed toward the chair. “He wants to go home, guys, he doesn’t like it here. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour.”

The booing, and chants of “Second serve! Second serve!” continued for more than six minutes. Multiple news outlets reported that his wife, Daria Medvedeva, sat with her head in her hands during the commotion.

Medvedev blew kisses to fans and kept encouraging the loud boos, which lasted so long that he then tried to get fans to quiet down so Bonzi could serve. When Bonzi finally did, he missed the first serve and then lost the point, and Medvedev won the game and later the set to prolong the match.

Former champion Medvedev was eventually knocked out 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(5), 0-6, 6-4 by Bonzi, who threatened to walk off the court at one point and called for his opponent to be disqualified.

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After losing, Medvedev threw several rackets into the crowd, and smashed another until it broke.

“He’s almost 30 years old, but acts like he’s 10,” wrote the tennis fan account Swish Tennis on X.

‘I just expressed my emotions’

In a press conference after the match, Medvedev called the crowd reaction “fun to witness” and said he didn’t believe the delay caused by the photographer was long enough to warrant a first serve.

“I was not upset with the photographer. I was upset with the decision,” Medvedev said.

“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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Bonzi said the crowd noises were distracting, and the call wasn’t his to make.

“Every time I went on the line to serve and every time I did that, everyone was booing. I felt I didn’t do anything bad in the match to, like, receive this treatment, and I didn’t want to serve in those conditions,” Bonzi said.

“I mean, it’s not my call to say first serve. And I think, yes, Daniil started it, and he put oil on the fire.”

U.S. Open often dramatic

As many have previously noted, drama at the U.S. Open is — and apologies for mixing our sports metaphors — par for the course. The crowds are boisterous, big names flock to watch, there’s music between changeovers and, yes, there’s the signature honey deuce, brimming with vodka.

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Wimbledon, in comparison, is known for its elegance, prolonged hushes and traditional strawberries and cream dish.

Emma Navarro, an American who reached the semifinals at Flushing Meadows last year, has described the U.S. Open as “casually rowdy.”

And some, although not all, of the past rowdiness has involved Medvedev.

Like in 2023, when he shouted “Can you shut up?” as some fans entered the stadium as he was preparing to serve, followed by, “Are you stupid or what?” And in 2021, after receiving a code violation, he threw a racket toward the umpire and put his middle finger up to his head.

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Back in 2018, Serena Williams divided the tennis world over her behaviour in the U.S. Open final for calling the chair umpire a “liar” and a “thief” and said he treated her differently than male players during her loss to Naomi Osaka.

WATCH | Serena Williams calls umpire sexist in 2018:

She also made headlines that year for donning a sleek, black tulle dress — in response to being banned from wearing the iconic catsuit she wore at the French Open earlier that season for health reasons.

Aryna Sabalenka was booed onto the court for her opening match of this year’s tournament, reportedly over earlier controversial comments she made about U.S. player Coco Gauff. 

Meanwhile, player Emma Raducanu stopped a match at the Cincinnati Open earlier this month because of a crying baby.