Daniil Medvedev was beaten in just the second round of the Australian Open after two ill-tempered matches that saw the former US Open winner handed a pair of fines by tournament organisers. Medvedev’s trip down-under did not pay off in any sense, as he lost over half his prize money following on-court outbursts in his matches against Kasidit Samrej and Learner Tien.
Daniil Medvedev has been fined $76,000 (£62,456) by Australian Open organisers for outbursts across the two matches he played in the opening Grand Slam of the year.
Medvedev was taken to five sets by wildcard Kasidit Samrej in the opening round, before losing in another five-set epic to qualifier Learner Tien in a match that finished in the early hours of the morning.
But the world No. 5 made headlines for all the wrong reasons in Melbourne, as he failed to find his best tennis and let his frustrations bubble over on the court.
Against Samrej, Medvedev approached the net before hitting the net-camera repeatedly with his racquet, breaking both in the process.
He joked after the match that he hoped the fine “would not be too big,” and so he might have been relieved to be handed a $10,000 (£8,218) fine, but his conduct in his second match forced him to write an even bigger cheque.
With the match edging into the early morning hours, and Tien refusing to give in, Medvedev’s frustrations once again bubbled over as he threw his racquet towards his chair.
He then hit a ball at the back wall, before another on-court camera bore the brunt of his anger.
The late hour might have had something to do with it, although before the tournament Medvedev confessed to being “an evening person” and said he would rather play in the evenings.
As his frustrations deepened, Medvedev vociferously argued against being called for a double fault via foot fault at one point, before chuntering to himself at the back of the court.
All of that combined with failing to appear for his mandated post-match press conference earned Medvedev a $66,000 (£54,238) fine.
Players who lose in the second round of the Australian Open pocket $123,000 (approximately £102,000) – meaning Medvedev will be taking home less than half of that pay cheque.
The player had chosen to stay at home for Christmas and New Year after the birth of his second child, only travelling to Australia for the Grand Slam itself rather than playing in any warm-up tournaments.