Daniil Medvedev smashes water bottle, flings racquet after loss to Corentin Moutet

Indian Express

2 days ago

Daniil Medvedev was reportedly booed off the court by fans after his defeat in the Washington Open quarter-finals to Corentin Moutet, who was in the tournament as a lucky loser. Cameras caught Medvedev's racquet flying into the air close to the stands immediately after he lost one of the most dramatic match points to be eliminated. He also smashed a water bottle twice on the ground after his defeat.
Medvedev claimed the first set 6-1 before capitulating and dropping the next two 4-6, 4-6. Medvedev has been ranked No. 1 previously but is currently world No 14, his lowest spot in more than six years.
Even before the outburst, there was drama in the air in Washington as the game was suspended for an hour due to lightning in the area. At that stage, Moutet was leading Medvedev 1-6, 6-4, 5-4. When play restarted, the Frenchman returned to defeat Medvedev. The Russian made three double faults in his final service game on Friday before his outburst.
Drama til the bitter end 😱
The moment @moutet99 reached the biggest semi-final of his career! #MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/Z7Y8edPyrd
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) July 25, 2025
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While the Russian left the court angry at himself, the Frenchman will advance to his first semi-final above the ATP 250 level.
The ATP website noted that while both players had struggled in the hot conditions in Washington, Medvedev had needed a medical timeout mid game at 2-4, 15/15 in the second set due to heat stress.
You can always recognize Russian psychopaths, even when they compete 'without a flag.'
Given how fragile the Russian economy is, smashing rackets after humiliating losses has gotten too expensive. So Medvedev switched to bottles instead. pic.twitter.com/sHlx6M10tj
— Victoria (@victoriaslog) July 25, 2025
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The hard courts are Medvedev's best surface.
'Usually, this is the most important part of the season for me,' Medvedev was quoted as saying by The Associated Press just before his defeat to Moutet on Friday. 'And this year, it's really important for me, because I didn't have the best year. I had a lot of time after Wimbledon, so I'm feeling ready and I feel in good shape.'
Asked why he prefers the hard courts to other surfaces, he said: 'A lot of different things. My ball goes through the air the most. My serve goes faster. And this year, the courts seem pretty fast. On the ATP lately, the courts seem to only get slower and slower. But here it's super fast. I like the way it plays. It's one thing to like the way it plays and it's another thing to win. But I do feel like I can do big things.'