Daniil Medvedev accused of 'embarrassing' wife as tennis star ends up with just £300K

Daniil Medvedev had an outrageous response to his first-round exit at the US Open. At the end of his defeat to Benjamin Bonzi, Medvedev was filmed smashing his racket repeatedly while sitting in his chair as he aired his frustration over the loss.

The match had already not been without incident, as a cameraperson prematurely entering the court saw Bonzi allowed another first serve on match point in the fourth set. This led to a six-minute delay, and Medvedev was heard confronting the umpire about the call. Despite rescuing the set, Medvedev ultimately lost to Bonzi, who also defeated him at Wimbledon, and his behaviour on the court led to criticism from tennis fans on social media.

Responding to a post from John McEnroe's brother, Patrick, where he suggested that Medvedev take the rest of the year away from the sport, one X user wrote: "His own wife got up and walked out during the racquet smash- she was embarrassed, I'm sure! Such a terrible image for future young athletes!"

A second X account also spared a thought for Medvedev's partner, who was pictured with her head in her hands during the world No.13's match: "If there's anyone I felt sympathy for in that entire farce, it was medvedev's wife she looked so embarrassed."

A third social media user said: "I don't think we should be celebrating and championing this Meddy behavior like this anymore as 'iconic'. No other players on tour get away with behaving this badly. Not a good look. There are other great qualities about Medvedev, but let's be real, he behaved appallingly tonight."

However, others viewed Medvedev's actions as entertaining. "Daniil Medvedev may be one of the most compelling characters in all of sports," one fan wrote. Another posted: "The Daniil Medvedev Experience is truly something else."

It would have been a particularly painful defeat for Medvedev, given his previous success at the US Open. He won the major in 2021 and finished runner-up in 2019 and 2023, but it is not the first time Medvedev has reacted angrily to defeat in recent months.

His first-round defeat at the US Open is indicative of a recent trend for Medvedev, who has fallen at the same stage in three consecutive majors for the first time in his career. This run of results has impacted his prize money earnings, with the former US Open champion only making £304k in total from all four Grand Slams this year.

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He earned around £96k after reaching the second round of the Australian Open at the start of the year. Medvedev then received £67k for his first-round defeat at the French Open. His US Open exit will see him receive £81k, which is more than the £66k he earned for his earlier defeat to Bonzi at Wimbledon in June.

The drama during his US Open match with Bonzi led to a highly charged atmosphere within the crowd. With many fans in attendance seeming to side with Medvedev, the French ace admitted it was a challenging situation to overcome.

"The energy was wild. It was a crazy scenario," Bonzi said. "I have never experienced anything like that. It was so difficult to play, so noisy. But I tried to stay calm - it was not easy."

Meanwhile, Medvedev smashing his racket and demeanour after the result prompted concerns that he could walk away from the sport. Medvedev quashed the idea that he was retiring, but admitted that the thought did cross his mind during the match.

"Not today, but when I'm finishing my career, you never know where you want to do it," he explained. "Today I was, like, 'this could be a nice place to do it'."