Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Tennis, US Open, Nick Kyrgios
Ryan Smart
Nick Kyrgios has delivered a four-word verdict on Daniil Medvedev's furious outburst during his US Open first round match.
Former world number one Medvedev suffered a surprise 3-6 5-7 7-6 6-0 4-6 defeat to unseeded French player Benjamin Bonzi in New York City.
But attention post-match squarely focused on an incident during the match, in which a cameraman entered the court between Bonzi's first and second serve.
Medvedev, who was facing match point at the time, was left furious when umpire Greg Allensworth decided to grant Bonzi a second serve.
That decision did not go down well with the crowd in attendance, and the atmosphere became more intense when Medvedev attempted to rile them up.
Advert
He then shouted at the umpire: "Are you a man? Are you a man? Why are you shaking? What's wrong, huh? Guys, he wants to leave. He gets paid by the match, not the hour."
Play resumed after a seven-minute delay, with Medvedev going on to save match point before then breaking Bonzi's serve to reduce his deficit to 2-1 in sets.
He then gained the upper hand in momentum with a 6-0 whitewash in the next set, but Bonzi held his nerve in the fifth and final set to win.
Advert
The USTA subsequently told The Athletic that the photographer had his credentials revoked shortly after being removed from the arena by security.
Now, Kyrgios has had his say on the incident - and made his feelings clear.
Taking to Twitter, he wrote: "Medvedev is the best."
Medvedev was involved in a separate incident after the umpire row, as he smashed his racquet repeatedly in the immediate aftermath of his defeat in the early hours of Monday morning.
Advert
Speaking in his post-match press conference, the 2021 US Open champion said: "What I say and what I do, in my head, I want to do worse, and I cannot because there are rules, because we're on a tennis court.
"So I just expressed my emotions, my unhappiness with the decision, and then the crowd did what they did without me asking them too much, and it was fun to witness.
"I'm getting a fine big enough, so if I speak, I'm in big trouble. So I'm not going to speak."