World No.5 Daniil Medvedev found himself in hot waters on Tuesday, playing against 418-ranked Kasidit Samrej. The young talent made the three-time AO finalist sweat on the court in a marathon encounter. Literally no one saw it coming – not even Medvedev! While he somehow managed to cross the finish line with a scoreline of 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, he clearly didn’t have an easy time on court. Samrej made him so frustrated at one point that he smashed the net camera with his racket. But now what? Well, it seems he may have to pay a hefty fine. But it doesn’t seem that he’s too much scared of it!

After winning the first set easily, Medvedev found it tough to get going. His lower-ranked opponent took the second and third set successively, disbalancing the Russian tennis star’s focus. In the third set, the 5th seed was behind 3-5 while being on the verge of losing. Out of angst, he exploded and ended up smashing his racket on the net camera repeatedly. He kept doing it until the racket and the GoPro camera’s condition got ruined. During the post-match press conference, Medvedev was asked regarding this on-court drama.

When reporters asked how much fine he’s expecting for breaking the net camera, he said, “Honestly, I hope not too big.” But why is he so sure?

“The fine is usually for breaking the racquet, and the camera is going to cost some, but I don’t think GoPro is that expensive,” he explained his point. To put more weight in his defense, he added, “I have to say that the camera was very very strong because my racquet didn’t handle the damage, but the camera did. It broke down but I there was not one piece going out from the camera. Very strong, I was very surprised.”

Under rules governed by the sport’s grand slam board, a player can be fined under the category of “Abuse of Racquets or Equipment”. The maximum amount for this kind of violation is $50,000(just over AUD 80,000), according to The Age, dated January 14. Keeping his antics aside, the veteran is willing to put on a fight at the Australian Open this time. He made it evident ahead of his first round match itself!

Daniil Medvedev looking to be a ‘disruptor’ at the 2025 Australian Open

Ahead of his main draw in the first Major down under, the World No.5 had expressed his clear motive: he wants to be a better player on the court while looking to give rising talents, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner a run for their money.

“I didn’t manage last year, except the Australian Open, I was less of a disruptor because Carlos (Alcaraz) and Jannik (Sinner) were beating me a lot of times. A lot of tournaments I was getting to the good stages but not able to beat them,” he said during a pre-tournament press conference, dated January 10. “I would like to become again, I don’t even know this word, but let’s say disruptor, because it means that I will be able to get to these later stages and win them.” he added.

On a fun note, he had something cheeky to say for his first round opponent, Samrej. He admired the latter for his fighting spirit. Moreover, he wished him good luck for a brighter future – with a mischievous smile! “If he plays like this every match, his life can be good. Money, girls, casino,… whatever, if he plays like this every match. If he doesn’t, then he’s not gonna have it. Maybe not in tennis. He’s gonna make it otherwise. But yeah, I wish he can play like this every match,” said the former world No. 1 in a post-match interview.

Daniil Medvedev will now face another young talent in the second round. On Thursday, he will go against 19-year-old Learner Tien. It will be intriguing to see if he will snatch the match against him easily. Do you think Tien will give him a tough fight? Let us know in the comments below.