Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev experienced one of the most devastating defeats of his professional career Wednesday, falling to Italian wildcard Matteo Berrettini in a crushing 6-0, 6-0 result at the Monte Carlo Masters that left the world No. 10 so frustrated he destroyed his racket on court.
The shocking defeat lasted just 49 minutes and marked the first time in Medvedev’s career that he failed to win a single game in a professional match. The 30-year-old Russian, who captured championships in Dubai and Brisbane earlier this year, couldn’t manage to earn even one game point while serving and made 27 unforced errors throughout the contest.
In a display of visible anger, Medvedev repeatedly struck his racket against the court before tossing the broken pieces into a nearby trash bin.
For Berrettini, the victory represented a career milestone as his first perfect 6-0, 6-0 triumph at the professional level and his initial win against a top-10 ranked player since he defeated Alexander Zverev at Monte Carlo the previous season.
“I think it was one of the best performances of my life,” Berrettini said.
“I think I missed three shots in the entire match and it is not easy against a tricky player like Daniil. I think the game plan was perfect and my weapons were working.”
Medvedev’s emotional reaction has reignited conversations about how professional tennis players handle frustration during competition. Recently, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka expressed support for creating “rage rooms” where athletes could release their anger away from television cameras, following Coco Gauff’s racket-breaking incident at the Australian Open, where the American player was unaware her outburst was being televised globally.
