The US Open 2025, which is the year's fourth and final Grand Slam event, got underway on August 25 and the first round already has witnessed a controversy with Daniil Medvedev at the centre of it all. The Russian was taking on France's Benjamin Bonzi in a bid to reach the second round of a Grand Slam event for the second time in 2025 when a photographer accidentally walked out onto the court. Shocking scenes were seen at the Louis Armstrong Stadium as Daniil Medvedev confronted the chair umpire soon and the crowd got involved as well. In this article, we shall take a look at what the controversy with Daniil Medvedev at the US Open 2025 was all about. Daniil Medvedev US Open 2025 Controversy: After Photographer Enters Court, Ex-World No 1 Angrily Slams Chair Umpire for Awarding Benjamin Bonzi First Serve, Asks ‘Are You a Man?’ (Watch Video).

The Russian tennis star unfortunately lost to Benjamin Bonzi 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(5), 0-6, 6-4 and it marked a forgettable year for him in Grand Slam events. Interestingly, Daniil Medvedev was knocked out of Wimbledon 2025 first round by the same opposition and the former world no 1 star has now suffered three consecutive opening round exits at Grand Slam events this year. His best performance at a Grand Slam in 2025 was reaching the second round of the Australian Open 2025, where he lost to Learner Tien. After his US Open 2025 exit, an angry Daniil Medvedev was seen violently smashing his racquet before destroying it completely.

Daniil Medvedev US Open 2025 Controversy: What Exactly Happened?

The former world no 1 was far from his best in this first-round match at the US Open 2025 against Benjamin Bonzi. It seemed that another first-round exit was on the cards for Daniil Medvedev when a photographer came out to the court with Benjamin Bonzi leading 6-3, 7-5, 5-4 with a match point in the third set. And despite missing his first serve, chair umpire Greg Allensworth awarded Benjamin Bonzi another first serve for disturbance and this irked Daniil Medvedev, who made his frustration pretty clear. Angry Daniil Medvedev Smashes His Racquet Multiple Times, Destroys It Completely After Being Knocked Out of US Open 2025 With Loss to Benjamin Bonzi (Watch Video).

Watch Daniil Medvedev's US Open 2025 Controversy in Detail:

The former US Open champion walked up to the chair umpire, Greg Allensworth and confronted him over his decision to award another first serve to Benjamin Bonzi. The Russian lashed out at Greg Allensworth and while looking at the camera, said, "Are you a man? Why are you shaking? What’s wrong, huh? Do you want to go home? You want to go home, don’t you? Guys, he wants to leave. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour..What did Reilly Opelka say? What did Reilly Opelka say? What did Reilly Opelka say?" By mentioning Reilly Opelka's name, Daniil Medvedev made the reference to when the American tennis player was fined by the same chair umpire for confronting a fan during a Dallas Open match in February 2025.

The crowd continued to boo the decision as Daniil Medvedev egged them on and the match was delayed for several minutes as a result. The spectators at the Louis Armstrong Stadium chanted 'second serve' as well and the chants died down after a while before the match could resume.

Who is Daniil Medvedev?

Daniil Medvedev is a 29-year-old Russian tennis player. Born on November 2, 1996 in Moscow, the Russian had risen to become the new world no 1-ranked player on February 28, 2022, surpassing Novak Djokovic. He had become the 27th player to reach no 1 spot in ATP rankings and spent 16 weeks at the top. Daniil Medvedev has won one Grand Slam title so far in his career, the US Open in 2021. Daniil Medvedev's current ranking is 13. In terms of his personal life, Daniil Medvedev is married to Daria Chernyshkova and the couple has two daughters--Alisa and Vika. Novak Djokovic Becomes First Player in Open Era to Win 75 Consecutive Opening-Round Matches at Grand Slam Events, Achieves Feat With Victory over Learner Tien in US Open 2025.

Daniil Medvedev Past Controversies

Daniil Medvedev, however, is no stranger to controversies. At the 2019 US Open, the Russian was involved in a controversy after he had snatched a towel from a ballperson during his match against Feliciano Lopez and was subsequently given a code violation by Damien Dumusois. He then hurled his racquet in the direction of the umpire and showed his middle finger as well, with the crowd booing him. During his 2022 Australian Open semi-final against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev lost his cool and lashed out at the chair umpire while arguing that the Greek tennis star was being coached by his father from the stands at Rod Laver Arena. At the Australian Open 2025, the Russian smashed his racquet against a camera attached to the net after missing a volley against Kasidit Samrej.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 25, 2025 12:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).