Losing It: Why Daniil Medvedev Destroyed Net Camera During Australian Open Match

Emotions ran high as Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev smashed his racket on the net in a fit of rage during his opening match at the Australian Open 2025. In the process, he destroyed a tiny camera that was attached to the net. 

The meltdown occurred when he was trailing against Grand Slam debutant Kasidit Samrej, a wild-card entry from Thailand who is ranked 418th. It would be the last game of the third set, which Samrej claimed to take a two-sets-to-one-lead in the best-of-five match.

The world number five lost a point and went up to the net, then mangled his racket, destroying a small black camera that shattered, sending pieces flying.

The three time Australian Open finalist feared losing out to the lowest ranked opponent in what could have been one of the biggest upsets of the tournament. 

Medvedev destroys racket and net camera in frustration pic.twitter.com/D92zvapWnU

— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) January 14, 2025

The tantrum earned fifth seed Daniil Medvedev a code violation for racket abuse and lost a point. 

After the tense situation, the fifth seeded regained the momentum as he dominated the fifth set.

Despite all the drama, the Russian beat Samrej 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena to progress into the next round.

“I know that I play better when I play more tennis so I was like, ‘Why play one-hour-30 (minutes), minimum three hours to feel my shots better,” joked Daniil Medvedev.

“Second and third set I couldn’t touch the ball. Full power, everything in — I didn’t know what to do.

Also Read: Australian Open 2025: How Much Will Each Player Earn

Madvedev will now face American qualifier Learner Tien for a place in the third round.

“At the end of last year, this match I probably would have lost it,” said Medvedev, a three-times runner-up at Melbourne Park.

“Now it’s a new year and new energy … So I’m happy to win this match.”

This was not the first time Medvedev displayed his frustration on the court. During the 2019 US Open, the Russian had flipped off the crowd after defeating fellow Russian player Andrey Rublev. He later apologised for the gesture. He has also had confrontations with umpires over calls on the court.