"It would've been very ugly" - Daniil Medvedev explains why he's 'glad' he didn't win controversial US Open clash after shocking outburst

Daniil Medvedev recently cast his mind back to his shocking first-round loss to French ATP player Benjamin Bonzi at this year's US Open. On that fateful night, the Russian was involved in several controversial incidents, including a tirade at the chair umpire, delaying the match by involving the crowd when Bonzi was about to serve for the match, as well as an on-court meltdown after the contest ended.

The former No. 1 and 2021 US Open champion sat down for a recent interview with Bolshe Tennis' Sofya Tartakova. Here, the 29-year-old expressed remorse for several instances of poor behavior he displayed throughout the match, opining that he would still be upset about it even if the match had ended with him winning.

The Russian also delivered a detailed assessment of his heated exchange with the chair umpire, which stemmed from the official's decision to award the Frenchman a first serve after a cameraman bizarrely interrupted proceedings. This led to Medvedev lashing out at the umpire and encouraging the rowdy New York crowd to boo him. The incident caused a significant delay before action eventually resumed.

At the time, Bonzi, having won the first and second sets 6-3 and 7-5 respectively, looked all set to take the match in straight sets. However, Medvedev's antics led to the Frenchman getting distracted, which allowed the former No. 1 to steal the set 7-6(5) and get back into the contest.

"I think winning it wouldn't help me in any way. I'd be upset because what happened, especially on match point... Before that I didn't behave well either, but if I lost the third set 6-4, not many people would remember that match. It would've all been quick and easy. But it happened on the match point. Bonzi had nothing to do with it, it was the umpire," Medvedev said.

"I still think, and I'm not criticizing anyone, but I think that it wasn't the right moment to grant him the first serve. It often happens that the crowd shouts, and the photographer was off the court very quickly. I would've most likely made an error off that second serve and the match would've been over, but it backfired against Bonzi," he added.

Opining that it would have been "ugly" had he ultimately won the match instead of Benjamin Bonzi, Daniil Medvedev continued:

"I didn't hype the crowd to boo him or anything like that. Deep down I'm glad I didn't win because it would've been very ugly towards him, and I wouldn't want that."

In the fourth set, the Russian registered a dominant 6-0 score against the Frenchman, and it seemed the momentum of the match had swung in the former's favor. In the end though, it was Bonzi who got the win after clinching the decisive fifth set 6-4.

"I apologized" - Daniil Medvedev's defiant take on making amends after US Open 2025 shocker

Daniil Medvedev smashes a racket after his first-round loss at the 2025 US Open (Source: Getty)

In the same interview, Daniil Medvedev went on to say that he issued apologies to everyone he felt he had offended with his behavior during his first-round outing at this year's US Open. The Russian steered clear of naming individuals who he had apologized to, and he also defiantly stated that he doesn't feel that he has to say sorry to the world at large.

"At US Open it was too much.. the whole situation.. I just knew that all the people who I think I had to apologize to for my behavior, I apologized to them. I won't say who exactly it was. But I'm not one of those people who think I should apologize to the whole world," Daniil Medvedev said.

Daniil Medvedev's Flushing Meadows antics came at a significant cost, as the Russian was later slapped with a whopping $30,000 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct and a further $12,500 penalty for smashing his racket in the immediate aftermath of the result.