Daniel Medvedev he has made his hatred of clay courts known before and his emotions rekindled at the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday, April 7.
World No. 10 Medvedev, 30, was beaten 6-0, 6-0 for the first time in his career, going down in just 49 minutes to No. Matteo Berrettini. After losing the first set and struggling to start the second, Medvedev took his frustration out on his racket, throwing it to the floor in frustration six times as the crowd cheered each time he hit the court.
When he was done, a visibly fed-up Medvedev quietly placed the smashed racket in a nearby trash can. His bankruptcy earned him a violation of the unsportsmanlike conduct code.
Medvedev has previously called clay courts “the place of losers” and in 2023, he told the media that he does not blame those who choose clay because, “If you like to play in the mud like a dog, I don’t judge them.”
“When I was talking about clay, I was exaggerating a little – a lot,” he told reporters afterward. “After all, there are players who like to get dirty after playing clay, I don’t like it, I won’t lie, you can throw away the socks because you wash them and there is still dirt.”
After falling for Berrettini, 29, Medvedev appeared confused as he tried to explain what had happened.
Daniel Medvedev’s racket
Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP“It’s the same as every year. Of course, my practice times on clay were not good, but let’s say I didn’t lose a single set when I was 6-0 in practice so I don’t really understand what happened,” he said in an interview with the Russian YouTube Channel Bolshe!.
Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev’s wife, Daria Medvedeva, appeared distraught over his collapse during the 2025 US Open. Medvedeva, 31, was seen leaning forward in her chair with her head in her hands as she sat alongside her embattled husband’s coach, Gilles Cervara, as Medvedev faced French rival Benjamin Bonzi in New York. […]
Medvedev added, “I just couldn’t hold anything: to hit the court, to get my help. Actually, I was working well, so it’s not clear what happened. But I can’t do anything about it now.”
As for Berrettini, he was understandably happy with his performance, calling it “the best” of his life.
“I think I missed three shots in the whole match and it’s not easy against a tricky player like Daniil,” he told the press. “I think the game plan was good and my weapons were working. I faced two break points in the first game and after that I felt I was playing better than him. I didn’t expect to win zero, zero like that. But I kept focusing as I know that one or two breaks are not enough sometimes, so I kept pushing.”
