I have never seen anything like it in my life," Bonzi's reaction after the Medvedev controversy
After defeating Medvedev at the US Open (6-3, 7-5, 6-7, 0-6, 6-4), marking the second time this season he has beaten him in the first round of a Grand Slam, Benjamin Bonzi witnessed the Russian lose his composure during the third set.
Indeed, while the Frenchman was serving for the match, a photographer entered the court, forcing the chair umpire, Greg Allensworth, to award him two service balls. This decision angered the Russian. What followed was an argument with the umpire, boos from the crowd when Bonzi served, and obscene gestures from Medvedev.
Although the former world number one claimed he did nothing wrong in the post-match press conference, even requesting that his opponent be fined, the Frenchman also shared his thoughts after the match:
"The rules are the rules, they are there and they must be respected. Daniil went to speak to the umpire between one serve and another. It’s not for me to say when it’s a first serve and when it’s a second serve. That moment triggered everything; Daniil behaved in a way that drove the crowd wild, he completely unleashed himself with them.
Honestly, I have never seen anything like it in my life—maybe in a football stadium, but not in a tennis stadium. I don’t think I did anything wrong tonight to deserve the boos from the crowd, to receive that treatment. I just didn’t want to serve under those conditions, so I preferred to wait a little longer.
US Open