Medvedev breaks racket following double bagel defeat to Berrettini

MONACO — Former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev lost his composure, smashed his racket on the red clay court seven times, and disposed of the damaged frame in a trash bin during a 6-0, 6-0 defeat to Matteo Berrettini at the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday.

Medvedev, currently ranked 10th, received a code violation for unsportsmanlike behavior and is likely to face a significant fine for his actions early in the second set.

He was already having difficulties when he hit a forehand into the net, resulting in the loss of his opening service game of the second set and falling behind 2-0, prompting him to slam his racket near the baseline. He then picked up the racket and threw it toward a tarp at the end of the court.

Continuing his outburst, Medvedev repeatedly picked up the racket frame and smashed it until it was sufficiently damaged to fit through an opening in a courtside trash can, while the crowd sarcastically cheered him on.

Medvedev, who claimed the US Open title in 2021, lost the match in 49 minutes. He recorded five double-faults compared to Berrettini’s zero, managed to get only 36% of his first serves in play against Berrettini’s 65%, and won just 17 of the 67 points played.

This result marked a stark contrast to their previous three encounters, all of which Medvedev had won.

As reported by statistics provider Opta, Berrettini became the fifth player since the ATP rankings began in 1973 to defeat a top-10 opponent with a score of 6-0, 6-0 — commonly referred to as a double bagel — with the last occurrence being a decade ago when David Goffin triumphed over Tomas Berdych at the Italian Open.

“I wouldn’t expect to win like that, and it doesn’t happen that often,” Berrettini remarked.

Medvedev was competing in his first match on clay this year, having recently defeated top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz to reach the final on hard courts in Indian Wells, California.

Berrettini, a Wimbledon finalist in 2021 who has faced injury challenges in recent years, is currently ranked 90th. The Italian received a wild-card entry for Monte Carlo.

“It was definitely one of the best performances of my life,” Berrettini stated. “I think I missed three shots in the whole match.”

Source: espn.com