Rafael Nadal's uncle lambasts Daniil Medvedev's outburst during US Open 2025 defeat: ‘Time has come tennis leaders…’

Daniil Medvedev has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, with his on-court antics during the US Open 2025 first-round loss still dominating conversations. The former champion had a meltdown during his defeat to France's Benjamin Bonzi. His behaviour became the talking point, and he was also fined $30,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct and given a further $12,500 penalty for racquet abuse. Russia's Daniil Medvedev breaks his racquet after his first round match against France's Benjamin Bonzi.(REUTERS)

However, Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni feels that the fine he received for such behaviour isn't enough and urged tennis authorities to introduce stricter penalties for players who smash their rackets.

The Russian tennis star had a meltdown when a photographer mistakenly wandered onto the court, prompting chair umpire Greg Allensworth to award Bonzi a first serve. Medvedev spoke with Allensworth, expressed his displeasure quite clearly about the official's decision, and accused him of wanting to end the match early.

Following his exchange with the umpire, the Russian turned towards the crowd, encouraging them to vent their displeasure at the umpire. This led to a six-minute delay before Bonzi could finally serve. The Frenchman was subsequently broken but recovered to clinch a 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 0-6, 6-4 victory.

Medvedev's final act was to violently smash his racquet in anger following the loss.

Toni Nadal was clearly unimpressed with Medvedev's behaviour, and in his column for El Pais he said that if a player of Medvedev's stature can not calm in nerves on the court then the authorities should look for high financial sanctions.

“In another unfortunate spectacle, [Medvedev] attacked his racket to leave it in pieces.

“I am surprised that a player of Medvedev's stature is incapable of calming his nerves and that he is willing to give this image of himself, as well as that high financial sanctions such as the one subsequently imposed on him do not manage to eradicate his behaviour," he wrote.

“Never seen a ping-pong player break a paddle”

Nadal has raised concerns over the growing trend of racket-smashing in tennis, calling it a poor reflection on the sport. Urging governing bodies to take stricter action, Nadal questioned why such outbursts are frequent in tennis compared to other disciplines, highlighting the need for accountability and stronger deterrents.

“I believe that the time has come when tennis leaders should consider the possibility of applying sporting punishments to the increasingly common occurrence of tennis players breaking their rackets on the court,” he added.

“As well as for us to consider why this type of reprehensible attitudes occur more frequently in our sport than in other disciplines. I have never seen a ping-pong player break a paddle and, very rarely, a golfer punish his club after making a mistake," he further added.

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