Daniil Medvedev has made his animosity toward clay courts known in the past and his emotions boiled over again at the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday, April 7.
World No. 10 Medvedev, 30, suffered the first 6-0, 6-0 loss of his career, falling in only 49 minutes to No. 90 Matteo Berrettini. After losing the first set and struggling to begin the second, Medvedev took his frustrations out on his racket, throwing it to the ground in frustration six times as the crowd cheered each time it hit the court.
When he was done, a seemingly sated Medvedev calmly placed the destroyed racket into a nearby garbage can. His meltdown earned him an unsportsmanlike conduct code violation.
Medvedev has previously called clay courts “a surface for losers” and in 2023, told reporters that he doesn’t begrudge those who prefer clay because, “If you like to play in the dirt like a dog, then I don’t judge.”
“When I was talking about clay, I exaggerated a bit — a lot,” he told reporters after. “After all, there are players who like to be dirty after playing on clay. I don’t like it, I cannot lie. The socks, you can throw them away because you wash them and there is still dirt in them.”
After falling to Berrettini, 29, Medvedev seemed to be at a loss when trying to explain what happened.
“It’s the same as every year. Sure, my practice sessions on clay weren’t the best, but let’s just say I didn’t lose a single set in practice 6-0 so I don’t really understand what happened,” he said in an interview with Russian YouTube Channel Bolshe!.
Medvedev added, “I just couldn’t get a grip on anything: hitting the court, getting my serve in. In practice, I was serving well, so it’s unclear what happened. But there’s nothing I can do about it now.”
As for Berrettini, he was understandably elated with his performance, calling it “one of the best” of his life.
“I think I missed three shots in the entire match and it is not easy against a tricky player like Daniil,” he told reporters. “I think the game plan was perfect and my weapons were working. I faced two break points in the first game and then after that it felt I was playing better than him. I was not expecting to win zero, zero like that. But I kept my focus as I know one break or two breaks is not enough sometimes, so I kept pushing.”
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