Melbourne: Three-time Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev showcased an aggressive act during the round one match against Thailand's Kasidit Samrej in the ongoing edition of the tournament. In the fixture played at the Rod Laver Arena, the Russian expressed his anger by smashing his racquet into the net camera. The incident drew reaction from the Australian crowd and they booed him after the incident. Medvedev was lagging behind by the end of the third set as his opponent had won two sets while he had won only one.
The incident unfurled during the ninth game of the third set when Samrej was on the cusp of sealing the third set. After the Thai player won the third set, Medvedev smashed his racquet into the net in frustration after missing a passing shot from his opponent. It resulted in both his racquet and net camera being broken.
An angry Daniil Medvedev takes out the net camera at the Australian Open.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 14, 2025
As seen and heard on the ESPN2 broadcast. 🎾😡🎥📺😵💫 pic.twitter.com/x1UyC4r0hX
He was immediately booed by the crowd after the incident and he was issued only a warning. The Russian player might have to face severe repercussions for his aggressive act.
After winning the first set of the match by 6-2, Medvedev lost the next couple of sets by 4-6 and 3-6 respectively. With two sets to his name, Samrej seemed to be heading for a victory. However, the 28-year-old turned the tables after that as he outlasted his opponent in terms of stamina in the last two sets. With a combination of baseline winners and some deceptive drop shots, he dominated the proceedings. World No. 5 pocketed the last two sets by 6-2 and 6-1 to ink a victory in a span of three hours and nine minutes.
