WIMBLEDON, England — Ninth-seeded Daniil Medvedev is out of one other Grand Slam within the first spherical after dropping to Sixty fourth-ranked Benjamin Bonzi 7-6 (2), 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2 at Wimbledon on Monday.
The 6-foot-6 Russian, a semifinalist on the All England Membership the previous two years, had additionally exited the French Open within the first spherical. And that adopted a second-round loss on the Australian Open.
“For the second, I am not that nervous,” mentioned Medvedev, who’s ranked No. 9. “If I end the yr someplace round [No.] 15 on this planet, perhaps I might be extra nervous. For the second, I’m not.”
The final time Medvedev misplaced consecutive Grand Slam first-round matches was in 2017 — at Melbourne Park in his main event debut, adopted by Roland-Garros.
Medvedev misplaced in 5 units to Cameron Norrie in Paris this yr. In 2023, the Russian was seeded No. 2 at Roland-Garros and misplaced within the first spherical to Thiago Seyboth Wild, a qualifier who was ranked 172nd on the time.
The 2021 US Open champion took out his frustrations on his racket, smashing it to the bottom after Bonzi had bought the higher of him within the third set.
“I used to be stunned by his degree,” Medvedev mentioned of Bonzi, who had not gained a match on grass in three years. “… There was not a lot I may do higher. Each shot that I performed at this time, even good pictures, he had a solution. At present, he barely missed. While you’re on fireplace, all the pieces goes in.
“No matter I did on the courtroom, it was not bothering him an excessive amount of. Every little thing he did was robust for me to play. I fought. I attempted.”
Spectators used umbrellas, hats, newspapers and some other makeshift merchandise they may seize to get a respite from the solar and the roasting situations, however the gamers bought solely a 10-minute break on the finish of the third set with Wimbledon’s warmth rule coming into pressure because the temperature soared above 90 levels.
That did little to revive Medvedev, nonetheless, as he instantly fell behind 2-0 within the fourth set and couldn’t recuperate.
“That is particular for me at this time,” Bonzi informed the gang. “That is my first top-10 win at a Slam. I really like this place. … I had nothing to lose and I performed my A-game.”
After shaking arms with Bonzi, Medvedev’s anger boiled over and he once more gave his rackets one other brutal battering — this time towards his courtside chair and bag.
“I am for certain very dissatisfied about the truth that I misplaced,” Medvedev mentioned.
The Related Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
