Meltdowns, upsets and controversy - Daniil Medvedev’s shocking Grand Slam record in 2025

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Former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev came into the 2025 season with high hopes of some strong results. Instead, he has crashed out of three of the four Grand Slams in the first round, and only made it to the second round once. Medvedev’s season has spectacularly unravelled in terms of results, as the fiery former US Open winner has also picked up plenty of hefty fines along the way.

Highlights: Bonzi beats Medvedev in fiery clash as Djokovic prevails

Video credit: SNTV

Daniil Medvedev came into 2025 ranked fifth in the world and chasing a second Grand Slam title to follow his US Open triumph in 2021.

However, his ranking has now slumped outside the top 10 for the first time since early in 2023, following three first-round defeats and one second-round exit at the majors.

It has been a poor return at the Grand Slams from a player who made the final in Australia last season, and followed that up with making the fourth round in Paris, the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the quarter-finals in New York, losing to the eventual champion on three of those four occasions.

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This year, he has lost out to players ranked outside the top-50 on all four occasions - so where has it all gone wrong for the former world No. 1?

Australian Open - Fines and broken racquets

In Melbourne in January, Medvedev was out of sorts from the word go. He was taken to five sets in his opening-round match against Kasidit Samrej who at the time, was ranked outside the world’s top 400.

That match featured Medvedev’s meltdown at the net, where he repeatedly hit the net camera with his racquet, breaking both in the process.

Medvedev kicks camera, tosses racquet, and whacks ball in show of frustration

Video credit: TNT Sports

While he made it to the second round, he was defeated by Learner Tien - then ranked 121 - in another gruelling five-set match 6-3 7-6(4) 6-7(8) 1-6 7-6(7), which finished in the early hours of the morning.

This one saw Medevdev hit a ball against the back of the court, throw his racquet at his chair and kick over a camera.

The result of those incidents was a fine totalling $76,000 (£62,456) from the Australian Open organisers, and an early flight home.

"The camera was very, very strong, my racquet didn’t handle the damage but the camera did," Medvedev explained after his first round match.

But he was in a less jovial mood after his second-round loss, avoiding speaking to the press as he lost out on plenty of ranking points following his early defeat.

French Open - A tough draw

Clay has never been Medvedev’s strongest surface, with just one quarter-final and two fourth rounds to show for his efforts at Roland-Garros. And the draw was not particularly kind to him in Paris, as he faced former top-10 player Cameron Norrie.

But clay is not Norrie’s preferred surface either, and Medvedev was the favourite given he had beaten the Brit very comfortably just a couple of weeks prior on the clay courts in Rome.

Watch as Medvedev explodes with frustration in match against Norrie

Video credit: TNT Sports

Instead, Medvedev once again let frustrations get the better of him when the two met in Paris - yelling and remonstrating as he fell to yet another five-set defeat, Norrie winning 7-5 6-3 4-6 1-6 7-5.

It also meant more ranking points slipped away, Medvedev tumbling out of the top-10.

Wimbledon - A four-set loss and another broken racquet

Medvedev beat Jannik Sinner on the grass courts of SW19 in 2024, before falling to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals in four sets.

Hopes were high coming into this year’s edition that Medvedev could turn his season around, using his big serve to full advantage on the grass.

Instead, he found himself up against Benjamin Bonzi, then ranked 64 in the world.

Unlike at the French Open, where his record has always been patchy, Medvedev had never lost in the first round at Wimbledon - but that changed this year.

Daniil Medvedev throws his racket following his defeat against Benjamin Bonzi

Image credit: Getty Images

Bonzi out-played his rival from the back of the court and served up a storm, leading to more frustrations for Medvedev who once again broke a racquet - this time on his chair.

He fell to a 7-6(2) 3-6 7-6(3) 6-2 loss, but did not sound too concerned after the match.

"I would be very worried if not for Halle where I reached the final and played a good level. In my opinion, there is not much I could do better."

US Open - Another tempestuous defeat

New York was the scene of Medvedev’s famous Grand Slam triumph back in 2021, where he beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets. Last year he lost to Jannik Sinner, one of only two players to take a set off the eventual champion.

Drawn against Bonzi again, Medvedev came into the final Grand Slam of the season in patchy form, having lost to Corentin Moutet in Washington, Alexei Popyrin in Toronto and Adam Walton in Cincinnati.

Medevdev lost the opening two sets to Bonzi, and seemed to be staring defeat in the face as the Frenchman served at match point in the third.

But then came a bizarre moment featuring a photographer on court, a retaken first serve and a time delay while Medvedev whipped up the crowd, which he used to good effect to fight back into the match.

It was a controversial moment, with Bonzi asked afterwards if Medvedev’s behaviour crossed a line, the Frenchman replying "yes," before adding that his opponent "put oil on the fire".

But ultimately, Medvedev could not use his considerable experience to clinch the match in the fifth, falling to a 6-3 7-5, 6-7(5) 0-6 6-4 defeat.

"I'm playing bad, and in important moments, even worse. Everything. Everything. Serve, return, volley, whatever. Just need to play better," Medvedev concluded.

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