By Marc McGowan
Daniil Medvedev and the US Open crowd. Name a more iconic duo.
Six years after the Russian antagonist infamously told New Yorkers that their booing helped him win, Medvedev blew kisses to the same fans and created heart-shaped symbols with his hands following another on-court controversy.
The 2021 US Open champion was two sets and match point down to Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi on Monday (AEST), only for a photographer to bizarrely walk onto the court and change the course of the match.
Bonzi eventually wrested back control but not before a wild ride that ended 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 0-6, 6-4 in his favour, in a repeat of their Wimbledon clash two months ago.
“I have no idea [what just happened]. It was crazy,” Bonzi said in his on-court interview.
“I may get some new fans, but also some new non-fans. The energy was wild. Thanks to all the ones who were booing – thanks for the energy in the fifth. It was a crazy match point in the third, and a crazy scenario. [I was] exhausted in the fourth, and gave all I had in the final set – it’s a crazy win.”
Security escorted the photographer from Louis Armstrong Stadium in the fourth set, and a US Tennis Association spokesperson said his tournament accreditation had been revoked.
A photographer enters the arena
At match point in the third set, Bonzi had just missed his first serve and was preparing to hit his second when the photographer scampered along the sidelines. The theory is he might have been trying to move into a different position to capture a better angle.
Chair umpire Greg Allensworth told the sheepish man to “get off the court, please” before granting Bonzi a fresh first serve, as is commonplace when there is such an interruption.
American star Taylor Fritz was as staggered as everyone else as he watched the match on TV, but backed Allensworth’s decision to award Bonzi another first serve.
The photographer caused quite the disruption..
“He should get a first but the call ends up backfiring and hurting [Bonzi] because of the pause, [and] having to sit on a match point for 10 min and then the crowd getting super into it against you,” Fritz posted on X.
“Unless Bonzi hits a huge first serve and gets a free point off the pause, then the whole thing is actually really bad for him.”
The crowd loudly jeered Allensworth’s decision, and a hot-headed Medvedev bolted angrily towards the chair umpire, while gesturing to fans to continue to voice their displeasure.
“Are you a man? Are you a man?” the world No.13 asked Allensworth. “He wants to go home, guys. He doesn’t like to be here. He gets paid by the match – not the hour,” Medvedev then sarcastically said into an on-court camera, before turning back to re-engage with Allensworth.
Daniil Medvedev was full of appreciation for the fans as they got vocal in the third set.Credit: AP
But Medvedev was not done with the camera, asking rhetorically: “What did Reilly Opelka say?”
At that point, he was in full theatrical mode and shouted the same question, this time for the crowd’s benefit, as he gave up his argument and decided his best hope was to rev up the crowd again.
The Opelka comment was a reference to the American player who dubbed Allensworth “the worst ump on tour” after copping a point penalty for swearing at an unruly fan during a match at the Dallas Open in February.
Meanwhile, the cameras honed in on the courtside photographer, whose facial expressions appeared to illustrate him belatedly realising the error of his ways.
Benjamin Bonzi was able to recover to win the match.Credit: Getty Images
The drama continues
But the fun was just getting started. As fans laughed and lapped up the unexpected drama in the stands, Medvedev went full court jester and began mouthing “boo” over and over again.
There was a six-minute delay between points before Bonzi finally served again, but he subsequently lost the next three points to concede serve, leaving the third set locked at five-all.
Then, after he battled his way to a tie-break and went 2-0 ahead, the Frenchman collapsed once more to drop the set. Those events triggered more theatrics from Medvedev, who earlier in the match also mocked Bonzi’s fist pump celebrations.
The crowd was emphatically pro-Medvedev by this stage, and he started enthusiastically showing his appreciation to them, complete with more heart gestures.
Bonzi’s dramatic downfall went into overdrive as he dropped the next set without winning a game – while becoming accustomed to constant noise as he served – to send the contest to a deciding fifth set.
Twice Medvedev went up a break in the final set, but Bonzi bounced back each time. Allensworth got involved again in what proved the last game, issuing the Russian a time violation as he repeatedly wrung his right hand before serving.
There was no coming back on this occasion as Bonzi broke Medvedev again to win the most memorable match of his career, albeit only a first-round match at a major.
After a genial interaction at the net, Medvedev went to his chair and demolished his Tecnifibre racquet with a series of blows, and he remained on court as Bonzi conducted his post-match interview.
“I never experienced something like that,” Bonzi said.
“We wait maybe five minutes before the match point, then it was so difficult to play, so noisy, and all the time during the points and between the points, and it was a very wild atmosphere. I tried to stay calm, to stay in the match – but it was not easy. At the end, I gave all I had … and I have the win today.”
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