Daniil Medvedev suffered a meltdown and was incensed after a bizarre incident in his first-round clash at the US Open.
Medvedev, who won the US Open in 2021, was knocked out of the competition by Benjamin Bonzi, who won the first-round tie 6-3, 7-5, 6-7, 0-6, 6-4.
But the tennis match was marred by a shocking incident in the third set.
As Medvedev faced match point at 5-4, a photographer inexplicably walked onto the court between Bonzi's first and second serve in a moment of madness.
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The first-round tie descended into chaos and changed the course of the game.
Medvedev erupted after umpire Greg Allensworth decided Bonzi could have another serve and called for the New York crowd to boo, forcing a delay of six minutes and 24 seconds.
"First serve. Ladies and gentlemen, because of the delay caused by an outside interference, first serve has been granted," the umpire called.
The Russian accused the match official of 'wanting to go home' as he whipped up the crowd during his protest.
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Medvedev exclaimed: "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 by the hour."
Bonzi lost focus amid the chorus of boos and could not serve out victory.
But the Frenchman eventually secured a dramatic victory shortly before 1am (US time).
The photographer was later escorted out of Louis Armstrong Stadium by security and had his credential revoked.
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"His credential has been revoked for the 2025 US Open," United States Tennis Association organisers said.
Speaking after his victory over the former world No.1, Bonzi said: "It was a crazy scenario.
"I have never experienced anything like that. It was so difficult to play, so noisy. But I tried to stay calm - it was not easy."
Topics: Tennis
Nasir Jabbar