Daniil Medvedev loses prize money as Russian punished for Monte Carlo Masters meltdown | Tennis | Sport

Daniil Medvedev has been slapped with a fine following his mid-match outburst at the Monte Carlo Masters, when he smashed his racket seven times before going on to suffer a 6-0 6-0 defeat at the hands of Matteo Berrettini. After losing the first eight games of the match, the Russian finally unleashed his frustrations, repeatedly throwing his racket on the ground, picking it up, and chucking it again. Once it had been destroyed, he put it in the bin.

Medvedev, who was the No. 7 seed in Monaco, received a code violation for his antics. He was then double-bagelled for the first time in his career, and has now been fined £5,222 (€6000), according to ESPN – around one-seventh of his £39,618 (€45,520) prize money. The 30-year-old had received a bye directly into the second round, so picked up prize money for a round of 32 showing.

During Medvedev’s racket-smashing frenzy, commentator Mikey Perera said: “Well, this is becoming a real headache now for Medvedev, and goodness me, the racket is thrown with real venom. And again. And again! It had been coming, everybody. Not again. Still going.”

After the former world No. 1 had disposed of the wrecked frame, he added: “Yeah, I think that’s unusable. Into the bin that goes. It’s amazing that’s just one warning, isn’t it!”

Sometimes, a mid-match outburst can be a good release of emotion for a player and spur them on to turn things around. But things went from bad to worse for Medvedev, who did not win a single game and was thrashed in just 49 minutes.

He later told Russian outlet Bolshe that he didn’t understand the 6-0 6-0 defeat, and would likely try to forget about it. “I don’t really understand what happened,” the world No. 10 said. “I just couldn’t get a hold of anything, or even get a serve in.

“I served well in practice, so it’s unclear what happened, but it seems like nothing can be changed. I don’t even know. It was tough to try anything because, in principle, I probably didn’t hit more than two balls into play.

“You can play aggressively, you can play defensively, but if you don’t hit the court at all, then no matter how you play, it won’t help. Again, I don’t see any reasons for now. I don’t even know if it’s worth looking for [reasons] or if I should forget about it and prepare for the next tournament.”

Medvedev, who has openly admitted he doesn’t enjoy the clay swing, is next due to compete in the Madrid Open, which gets underway next week. He’ll likely then head to the Italian Open, where he is a former champion, before the clay season culminates at Roland Garros.

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