Slam legend denounces Daniil Medvedev’s angry racket throw to LC and calls for action

Rennae Stubbs was in disbelief at Daniil Medvedev’s Laver Cup outburst as the former five-time Grand Slam doubles winner thinks it’s time for the ATP and WTA to introduce ‘a general rule’ that will ensure every racket who leaves the playing field is hit. result in an automatic disqualification.

After being upset by Frances Tiafoe with a mistake in his first ever Laver Cup match, the Russian tennis star also failed to impress in his next match. On the final day of the event, the former world number 1 was engaged in a thrilling first set battle against Ben Shelton when he lost a point, putting the American ahead 6-4 in the first set tiebreak .

And Medvedev didn’t take it well at all. He raised his racket and angrily threw it towards the stands in Berlin. Luckily it didn’t hit anyone, but it immediately drew boos from the spectators and the rising American raised his hand in an attempt to draw attention to what had just happened.

From the Team World bench, Tiafoe stood up and called for a standard foul, but nothing happened as the chair umpire claimed the incident went off without any physical harm. Later, the situation was a point of contention within the tennis community as many agreed that the call was inconsistent in such situations and some even went so far as to say that this looked worse than the racket hit that led to the infamous disqualification of Novak Djokovic.

Stubbs, who was invited by Serena Williams as her coach/advisor for her last US Open, talked about the Laver Cup incident on her podcast.

“What the living F was he doing throwing that racket that, well, it didn’t go into the crowd because there was a gap between the court and the actual crowd so if he wanted to throw it to the crowd he would really have to throw it higher or bounce it much harder. But it went near a few crew members and a few people sitting around the court. I think the WTA and ATP Tour should make a general rule: you throw your racket and it If you leave the court, no matter what happens, you are at fault,” the former doubles world number 1 said on the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.

What Medvedev had to say about the incident?

After the racket throw, the world number 5 managed to save two consecutive set points and win the first set. But he still couldn’t get the job done after Shelton came back from a set down to win 6-7 (6) 7-5 10-7.

In his post-match presser, the 28-year-old acknowledged what he did wasn’t right, but also defended himself by insisting he didn’t mean to throw it that way.

“I didn’t want to throw it the way I threw it. I mean, I didn’t want to — I wanted to throw it in one spot, so it was terrible of me. I was lucky. I didn’t touch anyone. If you’re in tennis no one touches you, you don’t get a disqualification. So that’s it.’

Earlier this year, Medvedev had that incident at the Monte Carlo Masters when he lashed out at referees in consecutive matches and even called for the removal of one “blind referee”. He later expressed regret, but also admitted that he “can go crazy.”

“Yes, I mean, first of all, because I know who I am and where I come from in terms of my attitude, sometimes I will go crazy on the field, whether it’s myself, my team, the crowd, the referee, I sometimes work on making sure I become less crazy and that it affects my game less,” he said at the time.

Medvedev discusses his difficult Beijing journey

Meanwhile, the No. 3 seed did not get the easiest of draws at the China Open as he will face former world No. 6 Gael Monfils in his opening match. If he reaches the final stages, he could potentially face Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals and Jannik Sinner in the final respectively.

“Whatever tournament I play, I want to win. It’s a strong field in Beijing, just like last year it was the same. Also very strong. So if I want to win the tournament, you definitely have to do your best from the bottom up.” From the first to the last match. It won’t be easy. But that’s the goal. As for the draw… Yeah, I mean, when Sinner and Alcaraz play, you know you’re not one of the top two players. to be difficult. In the semi-finals you will have to play one of them, if they get there. But yes, take it step by step. Try to improve my level step by step, and hopefully I can show good tennis. the Russian explained.

Last year, Medvedev enjoyed a deep run in his Beijing debut as he reached the final before losing to Sinner.