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Boris Becker tells Daniil Medvedev to 'get professional help' following US Open outburst: 'We call this public...'
Boris Becker told Daniil Medvedev to get professional help following the latter's outburst at the US Open.
German tennis legend Boris Becker minced no words as he advised Russia's Daniil Medvedev to seek "professional help" following his outburst at the US Open after being defeated by Benjamin Bonzi in the first round. Medvedev, the No.13 seed, lost 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4. Following this defeat, he was unable to keep his emotions in check, as he smashed his racquet in frustration.
He ultimately broke his racquet. Boris Becker took to social media to react to the video, saying this is a "public outburst" and Medvedev needs to keep his anger in check.
“We call this public meltdown. I think he needs professional help,” Boris Becker wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Medvedev was already on the tipping point when he was trailing by two sets to Bonzi. In the third set, a photographer inadvertently stepped on the court, leading to the chair umpire Greg Allensworth asking him to leave the court.
This was a classic case of interference, hence he returned the first serve to Bonzi. It must be mentioned that the incident happened when Bonzi missed his first serve, leading 5-4.
Medevdev didn't take kindly to the chair umpire's decision of returning the serve, as he had a heated verbal exchange, saying, "Are you okay, man? Why are you shaking? What’s wrong, huh?”
The Russian then turned his focus to the camera and screamed, “Guys, he wants to leave. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour.”
Reilly Opelka saga
Medevdev did not stop there; he brought Reilly Opelka into the mix. It must be stated that Opelka was penalised by the ATP Tour earlier this year after he termed Allensworth the "worst umpire on tour."
"What did Reilly Opelka say? What did Reilly Opelka say? What did Reilly Opelka say?” asked Medvedev. The Russian then gestured towards the crowd to make some noise. The US Open supporters obliged as they rang in loud boos.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Medvedev refused to discuss the issue further, saying he had already been fined.
"I’m getting big fine enough, so if I speak, I’m in big trouble, so I’m not going to speak. Everyone knows what I talked about when I said Reilly. Reilly got fined big-time for this, so I’m going to get a big fine, too," he said.
“I was not upset with the photographer. I was upset with the decision. The delay from the photographer was probably four seconds and a half. I’m not sure it’s enough for a first serve," he added.
