Day three of the Australian Open brought a wave of thrilling five-setters—Gael Monfils vs Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Holger Rune vs Zhang Zhizhen, and others. But no one expected World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev to be in for such a battle. The Russian star was up against wildcard Kasidit Samrej, and all the predictions had Medvedev cruising through the match. Yet, what we got was a fierce showdown that had fans at the edge of their seats—eventually leading to Medvedev erupting on court. What sparked this fiery moment?

Medvedev initially cruised through the first set against Thai wildcard Samrej. However, the tide quickly turned. The 23-year-old underdog seized the second set, breaking Medvedev’s serve in the final game to level the score. The third set saw Medvedev’s fortunes plummet.

After squandering several break point opportunities, Samrej capitalized, breaking Medvedev’s serve and moving to within one game of claiming the set. In a thrilling point, the world No. 418 lured Medvedev into a cat-and-mouse chase at the net. The 2022 finalist desperately lunged for the ball, but his desperate attempt sailed past him, gifting Samrej his first set point.

Medvedev erupted in frustration, viciously striking his racket against the net.The on-court cameras, strategically positioned within the net, provided an intimate view of his outburst, leading to led to the spectators at the Rod Laver Areana booing him and umpire giving him a warning.

Commentators immediately noticed the precise location of Medvedev’s racket strike. “Well it’s been a build-up, hasn’t it?” Lucie Ahl remarked. “That’s where the camera is, isn’t it? Not sure if that camera will work anymore.”

Despite his frustrations, the 28-year-old continued to pressure his opponent, generating a break point. Samrej, however, displayed resilience, requiring four set points to finally secure the lead. Both players exited the court for a brief respite after the third set. It soon became evident that Medvedev had indeed damaged the on-court camera. Ground staff were summoned to address the technical issue while a ball girl diligently cleared away the debris near the net

After his outburst, Medvedev went up 4-1 to lead the fourth set, but Samrej was seen cramping and had to take an MTO. The Thai player was given some pickle juice to get back into the game. The World No.5, however, ended up bread sticking him and then took the fourth and fifth set 6-1, 6-2, respectively, closing the match with a victory.

In the on court interview, Medvedev quipped, “I know I play better when I play more tennis, so I was like ‘why play one hour 30?” He also credited his opponent for playing an amazing match and in his usual humor said, “But 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 going to have it. Maybe not in tennis, but he’s going to make this otherwise. But I wish he can play like this every match.”

The Russian has come close 3 times to claiming the Australian Open trophy in Melbourne Park. He was denied the victory in the same year he won the US Open, ironically, by Novak Djokovic. The 28-year-old made the final again in 2022, but Rafael Nadal stood in his way. In 2024, Jannik Sinner made a brilliant comeback from 2 sets down to claim his maiden Grand Slam against Medvedev.

Well, as things stand, the former World No.1 had a lacklustre 2024 season where did not win a single tournament trophy. A first for him since 2017. Therefore he is determined to turn things around in the new season.

Daniil Medvedev plans to be a ‘disruptor’ in the 2025 season

Ahead of the 9th main draw Australian Open, Daniil Medvedev expressed his wish to be a better player on court and give a tough fight to the new tennis stars Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

In his pre-tournament conference, the Russian star said, “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 further continued, “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.”

Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev have especially developed an interesting rivalry with the Italian player turning around their head-to-head record, winning five of their six encounters in 2024. Medvedev used to lead their rivalry 6-3, but later the scales tipped in the World No.1’s favor with a lead of 8-7.

As Medvedev progresses to the second round of the Happy Slam, he is set to face American tennis player Learner Tien. Can he replicate his final run and claim the trophy this time?