Drama at Laver Cup: Daniil Medvedev launches racket into crowd in match against Ben Shelton

Daniil Medvedev threw his racket into the crowd during his clash with Ben Shelton at the Laver Cup. The 2021 US Open champion was playing a crucial match against the American after Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud closed the gap between Team Europe and Team World by defeating Shelton and Frances Tiafoe.

Medvedev had a tough start on Saturday, losing 6-3, 4-6, [5-10] to Tiafoe. The world No. 5 was chosen once again by Bjorn Borg on Sunday to play the first singles match of the day, which could have given the Europeans the lead.

The first set was tightly contested and went to a tiebreak, where Shelton led 5-4 after Medvedev sent a ball long, giving the American a set point. After the error, the Russian threw his racket, which bounced on the court and ended up in the crowd, where former tennis player Andrea Petkovic was seated.

Shelton was surprised by Medvedev’s reaction, and members of Team World expressed their dissatisfaction, including protests from John McEnroe and Tiafoe. Umpire Mohamed Lahyani downplayed the incident, explaining to Big-Foe why Medvedev wasn’t penalized. "Frances, it bounced and didn’t hit anyone. The result was not bad. The result was not bad. If it had hit someone, I agree with you."

The former world No. 1 managed to turn the tiebreak around and won the first set 7-6(6), but it wasn’t enough, as Shelton came out victorious 6-7, 7-5, [10-7]. After the 21-year-old’s win, Team World leads 11-7 and is just one victory away from securing the title. In the night session, Frances Tiafoe will face Alexander Zverev, followed by Taylor Fritz vs Carlos Alcaraz.