In one of the most dramatic tennis matches that witnessed a whole lot of drama during the US Open 2025 first round match between Frenchman Benjamin and Daniil Medvedev, the Russian, who delayed play by over six minutes by inciting the crowd, when facing match point after disagreeing with the chair umpire’s decision, said he wasn’t upset with the photographer but it was the decision from the chiar umpire Gregory Allensworth that frustred him.
Allensworth’s decision to give Bonzi a first serve instead of a second after the interruption sparked Medvedev’s fury. “I wasn’t upset with the photographer. I was upset with the decision,” said Medvedev in the post-match press conference.
“Every time there’s a sound from the stands between serves, there’s never a second serve. But the umpire gave him a first serve. That’s what made me angry,” he added.
Incredibly, after play resumed, Bonzi missed the first serve again and another round of cheers went up. The Frenchman seemed to have lost his rhythm and was broken in that game. As boos erupted from the night-session crowd, Medvedev embraced the chaos, rallying fans into a frenzy in a scene he later described as “fun to witness”. Medvedev also made a heart sign to the crowd after pinching the set.
“I thought I’m losing the match. I didn’t break him once. So I said, okay, it’s second serve, but they gave him a first. I got emotional. Honestly, while living it, I was like, you know what, it could be fun maybe to finish my career with one match at the U.S. Open,” said Medvedev.
“I love New York,” he added. “They did the work. I didn’t do anything,” said Medvedev on the delay. “The crowd pushed me to come back into the match.”
Crossed the line
Bonzi said he felt Medvedev’s behaviour had crossed the line. “Daniil started it, and he put oil on the fire. He went with the crowd crazy. He went with them. Honestly, I never saw that,” he told reporters.
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“The rule is the rule. The guy went on the court between two serves. It’s not my call to say first serve. …. I felt I didn’t do anything bad in the match to receive this treatment, and I didn’t want to serve in those conditions.”
The defeat finishes off a terrible year at the majors for Medvedev, who ends 2025 with just one win across the four Grand Slams. Medvedev said he is playing bad.
“I’m playing bad and in important moments, even worse. Everything. Everything. Serve, return, volley, whatever. Just need to play better, and I’m going to try to do it next year,” he said.
What happened in the third set?
Medvedev, the 2021 champion and former world No. 1, was on the verge of defeat once again in the first round of a Major at the hands of Bonzi. The Frenchman, who prevailed against Medvedev in the Wimbledon first round, was serving for a straight-sets win and had a match point in third set leading 6-3, 7-5, 5-4 (advantage). He hit a first serve that sailed wide and was about to get ready for the second serve. Then, a photographer, presumably looking to get to a vantage point to click the winning moment, walked onto the playing area inadvertently. This is when the chair umpire, Allensworth, called it out, and because it was an interference to play, he returned the first serve to Bonzi.
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“First serve, ladies and gentlemen because of the delay caused by outside interference. First serve has been granted,” Allensworth announced on the microphone. Chaos ensued.
Medvedev was incensed by the call as he would have, of course, preferred to face the second serve in an attempt to save match point and stay alive. He ran to the chair umpire and started off by asking the fans to be loud. He then exchanged words with Allensworth.
