Brad Gilbert urges players to follow Andy Roddick’s advice after Medvedev’s Laver Cup meltdown

Brad Gilbert criticized Daniil Medvedev’s outburst after he threw his racket into the crowd during the Laver Cup. The world No. 5 suffered a surprising defeat against Ben Shelton in three sets, leaving Team Europe in a delicate situation after his second consecutive loss in the tournament.

Gilbert, former coach of Coco Gauff, urged players to follow Andy Roddick’s advice on how to deal with frustration on the court. Medvedev lost the first singles match of the day in a tight contest against Shelton, 6-7, 7-6, 10-7. He had already lost to Frances Tiafoe on Saturday.

The tense tiebreak of the first set had Shelton leading 5-4 when one of Medvedev’s shots went long, giving two set points to his rival. During the changeover, the Russian claimed he was playing “the worst tennis of his life” and had a fit of rage, throwing his racket into the crowd.

Medvedev only received a warning, while Team World members, including Frances Tiafoe, Thanasi Kokkinakis, and John McEnroe, were expecting a disqualification. Tiafoe was the most vocal in protesting to chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani, who explained that since Medvedev didn’t hit anyone, no further action was necessary: “Frances, it bounced and it didn’t hit anyone. The result was not bad. If it had hit someone, I’d agree with you," Lahyani was heard saying.

Former Coco Gauff coach Brad Gilbert shared his thoughts on the 2021 US Open champion's drama, stating that Medvedev was lucky to avoid suspension. The American also suggested that the rules on this matter should be reviewed: “Meddy Bear (Daniil Medvedev) was pretty lucky in that racket chuck, maybe at some point this rule needs to be reexamined more closely alongside umpires’ decisions,” he wrote on X.

The coach urged players to watch Andy Roddick’s tutorial on how to throw a racket: “1st of all, players need to be way more careful and rewatch (Andy Roddick) tutorial on throwing a racket or firing a ball in anger,” opined Brad Gilbert, who previously coached Roddick.

In the video, Roddick, the former world No. 1, hilariously demonstrates the best way to vent frustration without harming others.