- Taylor Fritz beat Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-3 at the ATP Finals in Italy on Sunday
- Medvedev, 28, would lose his cool in the second set before appearing to give up.
- The Russian smashed his racket several times and was penalized one point.
Daniil Medvedev suffered a rare breakdown during a straight-sets loss to Taylor Fritz on the opening day of the ATP Finals.
Fritz defeated world number 4 Medvedev in Turin, Italy, beating him 6-4, 6-3.
The Russian struggled with his service game in the first set, committing seven mammoth double faults, including two in a row to give Fritz a set point.
At the end of the set, Medvedev lost his temper and slammed his tennis racket hard against his seat.
His anger would take a peculiar turn in the second set, when the 2021 US Open champion would trade his racquet-smashing attitude for a more nonchalant throwing technique.
Daniil Medvedev lost his cool once again during ATP Finals loss to Taylor Fritz in Turin, Italy
Fritz, who reached the semi-finals in 2022, beat the world number 4 convincingly in straight sets.
Medvedev began to destroy his rackets after committing seven double faults in the first set.
On multiple occasions, Medvedev threw his racquet into the sky but deliberately let it crash onto the court.
He also received a one-point penalty in the second set because one of his shots broke a microphone on the court.
A clearly irritated Medvedev, who often throws tantrums, then threatened to withdraw from the match entirely after the violation, as his loss of temper turned into a complete breakdown.
As he imploded, a chorus of boos began to rise from the crowd as frustration over his antics grew.
However, after the defeat, Medvedev admitted that he felt distanced from the second set when the result began to become clear.
‘I get angry, I get frustrated. This time completely with myself, not with anyone. Only with myself. Yes, very frustrated,” Medvedev said.
‘I mean, a difficult breaking point. Shank, on the phone. I was like, whatever, I lost the match. I don’t mind. I mean, you have to finish the game. You can’t retire, can you? I just finished the game.’
His opponent that night, Fritz, saw the funny side of the situation and even confessed that he had a hard time hiding his laughter.
The Russian star started juggling strangely with his racket in the second set and lost his mind.
Medvedev also threatened to withdraw from the match after receiving a penalty point.
“I was laughing, I think it’s funny, honestly,” Fritz said. “Even when he’s not playing against me, he always makes me laugh.
‘I laughed between points when he juggled his racket. That’s just him. He had his racket backwards going 0-40, but managed to score the return.
‘I had to tell myself, “Focus.” After seeing the way he played at 5-2, I knew he would try to break through. Sometimes when your opponents make it look like they’re not even trying, you can lose concentration.’