Daniil Medvedev Loses Almost All Of His Prize Money To Fines At Australian Open
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Daniil Medvedev only played two matches at this year's Australian Open. However, his actions during those contests led to him being hit with a significant fine.
The three-time runner-up in Melbourne needed five sets to overcome Kasidit Samrej in the opening round. After Samrej won a point to go two sets to one ahead, Medvedev repeatedly hit the net camera with his racket.
That led to Medvedev needing a new racket after his old one broke during that furious meltdown. He expressed surprise afterward about how sturdy the net camera was after he hit it so many times.
Medvedev had another five-set battle that he did not survive in the second round against Learner Tien. Despite saving a match point in the third-set tiebreak, the 28-year-old succumbed to a 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-1, 6-7 loss.
His frustrations boiled over again during that lengthy battle against Tien. The most severe offense was throwing his racket, which flew across the court.
Medvedev also got into an argument with the umpire and did not attend his post-match press conference, which is mandatory for all players. Unsurprisingly, he has faced a significant punishment for all those actions.
The 2021 US Open champion received a $76,000 collective fine. $10,000 of it was for smashing the net camera in the opening round, and the remaining $66,000 is for all his actions in the defeat to Tien.
These types of incidents are not new for Medvedev. He is a unique personality who engages in antics that have left fans feeling bemused, entertained, or sometimes even a combination of both.
Another recent example was at November's ATP Finals. After receiving a code violation for throwing his racket onto the ground during the second set of a round-robin match against Taylor Fritz, Medvedev tried to goad the umpire into taking further action.
The former ATP world No. 1 repeatedly dropped his racket onto the ground and gave a fake apology to the umpire after each time. Instead of taking action, the umpire looked at him with an unimpressed expression without reacting.
Medvedev then returned serve at 0-40 down with his racket facing the wrong way. It was one of the strangest games ever seen at the ATP Finals.
A few weeks after Jannik Sinner won the ATP Finals, Nick Kyrgios theorized that the intense tennis schedule was to blame for Medvedev's actions. The Australian thinks the calendar is "absurd" and needs to be changed for the players' sake.
However, Medvedev's outbursts are not new, and his actions during the Australian Open indicate that the schedule had nothing to do with what happened at the ATP Finals. The off-season has not stopped him from engaging in familiar antics.
Medvedev has not won an ATP title since May 2023 at the Italian Open, a lengthy drought for someone as good as him. Whether the loss to Tien was just a blip or the start of another challenging season remains to be seen.
