Things don’t seem to be going right for Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open. The fifth seed suffered a huge scare in the first round against Kasidit Samrej but came back strongly to defeat him in five enthralling sets. Similarly, in the second round, Medvedev began the match on the back foot and lost the first two sets. Additionally, he was involved in a big controversy after causing a huge blunder. As a result, he faced repercussions for his actions.

Medvedev was up against Learner Tien, a 19-year-old sensation from the United States. In the third set which went into the tiebreaker, Medvedev was fighting to stay in the match. However, he committed a couple of foot faults back to back on his serve and gifted the point to Tien. Medvedev was up a mini-break but that blunder squared things off. Subsequently, more drama erupted after his strong reaction to his foot fault invited a code violation and the Russian was handed a 1-point penalty.

Medvedev, a three-time finalist at the Australian Open in 2021, 2022, and 2024, is aiming to win his maiden crown Down Under. However, the massive blunder and subsequent reaction led him to the brink of exit after losing the opening two sets. After the incident, the score was tied 2-2 in the third-set tiebreaker. However, the Russian star overcame the controversy and came back strongly to win the third set tiebreaker 10-8.

This is not the first time that Medvedev has been involved in a controversy in recent times. During his tricky opening-round victory, Medvedev destroyed a camera positioned on the net during a tense moment. Additionally, he also destroyed his racket and received a warning from the chair umpire for racket abuse. After the match, the former Australian Open finalist opened up about this controversy which took the limelight.

Daniil Medvedev reacts to the camera-breaking incident

Daniil Medvedev is quite infamous for his outbursts when things don’t go his way during the matches. As a result, when he was training in his first-round match, the 28-year-old took his frustration at the camera, hitting it hard with his racket and destroying both in the process. However, after his win over Kasidit Samrej, Medvedev made his intentions clear about the incident.

He said, “My racket didn’t handle the damage, but the camera did. When I did it, I didn’t want to smash the camera to pieces. When I saw the racket I was like, ‘OK, time to get a new one I guess.’” Additionally, Medvedev was also asked about his thoughts on receiving a fine for his actions. “I hope not too big” as fines are “usually for breaking the racket,” he cited.

Meanwhile, Medvedev saved some humor for the last, revealing his thoughts of playing marathon matches in the early rounds. The Russian star joked, “I know I play better when I play more tennis. So I was like, ‘Why play 1 hour, 30 [minutes]?’ Need a minimum of three hours, at least, to feel my shots better.”

Medvedev’s match against Tien is currently tied at two sets apiece. The Russian star would look to continue the momentum after making a strong comeback and wrap up his match quickly against the American sensation.