Former WTA player Rennae Stubbs was less than impressed with Daniil Medvedev's latest on-court incident, calling into question his judgment after yet another careless racket throw.
Throwing a racket is nothing new in tennis and happens semi-frequently, but there aren't any clearly defined rules as to how to handle those situation, as some racket throws are judged differently than others and sometimes it seems that only clear outbursts when players obliterate their racket are judged consistently.
It mostly comes down to the umpire making a judgment call on the spot, which allows for some troubling inconsistencies. Former player Stubbs wants to see more defined rules because she was not happy with what she saw at the Laver Cup.
Medvedev was playing a singles match, and it wasn't going well, so the Russian threw his racket in frustration at one point. It bounced dangerously and nearly went into the crowd sitting courtside.
The umpire didn't default Medvedev even though there were some calls for it from the Team World bench. It was a pretty dangerous throw, and to his credit, Medvedev admitted after the match that it was a horrible action, which it truly was.
Somebody could have gotten injured easily because the racket jumped violently once it was thrown. Stubbs was bewildered by it and mentioned it during her most recent podcast episode.
"What the living F was he (Daniil Medvedev) doing throwing that racket that, well, it didn't go into the crowd because there was this gap between the court and the actual audience, so for him to throw it at the crowd he would have to really throw it higher or bounce it a lot harder."
That situation ultimately made Stubbs realize that the ATP and the WTA should really come up with some defined rules on racket throwing because it could start getting a bit out of hand.
We've seen a couple of players doing it in a very casual way, likely knowing that a default wouldn't come. Medvedev certainly didn't look very concerned when he threw the racket, and Stubbs thinks the rules should change.
She wants to see players defaulted if their racket leaves the court, with no ifs and buts, which probably makes a lot of sense considering how dangerous it is.
"But it went near a couple of the crew and a couple of people sitting around the court. I think the WTA and ATP Tour need to make a blanket rule; if you throw your racket and it leaves the court, no matter what, you are defaulted."
Stubbs' points are very valid because moments like that from Medvedev shouldn't and can't happen on a tennis court. It's reckless, it's very careless, and it can hurt people. Nobody wants to see that, and having strict rules will make players think more carefully about doing that.
With no punishment in sight, what's the argument for not doing it? There is none, so she's probably right in calling for better rules.