"Kyrgios, me, Bublik, Opelka, they fine him because they don't like him": Daniil Medvedev claims tennis 'bad boys' get bad wrap for no reason

Daniil Medvedev’s US Open press conference was dominated by questions surrounding a dramatic late incident in his match, where confusion over a photographer entering the court and the umpire’s decision sparked a long delay, wild crowd involvement, and the Russian’s own concerns about a looming fine.

Medvedev, who lost the match at the US Open, insisted he was never angry with the photographer but rather with the ruling that followed. “I was not upset with the photographer,” Medvedev clarified in his press conference. “I think it was nothing special. Every time there is a sound from the stands between the serves, there is never a second serve. That helped me get back into the match. It was a fun moment to live. I was not upset with the photographer—I was upset with the decision.”

The decision in question came on match point for his opponent, when the umpire called for a first serve to be replayed instead of continuing with a second serve after the delay. “Honestly, not at all,” Medvedev said when asked if he was deliberately stalling. “I was disappointed. He had a match point on his serve. I didn’t break him once in the match. I thought I was losing. If the referee doesn’t say anything, he makes the second serve and probably wins the point. The match is over. Instead, he says, ‘First serve.’”

Medvedev admitted that he let his frustration show. “What I say and do at that moment is not in my head. I want to do worse, but I cannot, because there are rules—we are on a tennis court. I just expressed my emotions, my unhappiness with the decision. The crowd did what they did without me asking them too much. It was fun to witness. Honestly, while living it, I thought, maybe it could be fun to finish my career with one match at the US Open.” That last remark prompted the inevitable question of retirement. Medvedev, though, was quick to deny it. “No, not today. When I finish my career, you never know where you want to do it. But today I thought, this could be a nice place to do it.”

The incident turned into a prolonged disruption, with the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd firmly on Medvedev’s side. He acknowledged their role while stressing that it wasn’t under his control. “At one moment I asked them to stop, but they didn’t. I thought, okay, let’s try to control them to stop, but they didn’t want to. He had a moment—after three minutes he could serve, and then one guy whistled and he didn’t serve.”

When pressed on whether the delay warranted a first serve, Medvedev was unconvinced. “The delay from the photographer was probably four and a half seconds. I’m not sure it’s enough for a second serve.”

At one point during the match, he referenced Reilly Opelka into the microphone, drawing further intrigue. Medvedev refused to explain in detail, citing the ATP’s disciplinary system.

“I’m getting fined big enough, so if I speak, I’m in big trouble. I’m not going to speak. Everyone knows what I meant when I said Reilly. Reilly got fined big time for this, so I’m going to get a big fine too.”

Medvedev admitted this has been a difficult stretch for him at Grand Slams. “Playing bad in important moments, even worse. Everything—serve, return, volley, whatever. I just need to play better and I’m going to try to do it next year.”

When asked about the financial penalty awaiting him after the delay and crowd interaction, he was blunt. “I have no idea. They fine guys like me much more than other guys. Actually, I don’t know if you know—coaching, is it allowed or not? I have no idea. Because sometimes it is, sometimes it’s not. He was coached a lot, so normally I hope he gets fined too, but these guys are going to fine only me.”

He grouped himself with other controversial figures in the sport. “Kyrgios, me, Bublik, who else? Reilly. Even if Reilly is a nice guy, they fine him just because they don’t like him.”

One journalist suggested Medvedev was deliberately pushing boundaries to see how far he could go before being defaulted. He pushed back. “Up to there, I didn’t do anything bad, no.” When it was pointed out the match was delayed for six minutes, he put the responsibility elsewhere. “Not me—the crowd.”

Reminded that he was actively encouraging them with gestures, he responded playfully. “Heart emojis, I love them. Love New York. I mean, they did the work, not me. And they pushed me to come back into the match. So yeah, I didn’t do anything. I said Reilly, whatever I said—I don’t even remember—but it was fun for me.”