The world number one lost his cool during his loss at the Halle Open
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Russian star Daniil Medvedev admitted it is “not easy to be with me on the court sometimes” after his coach was seen storming from the stands during an ill-tempered defeat to Hubert Hurkacz in the final of the Halle Open on Sunday.
World number one Medvedev suffered a 6-1, 6-4 defeat to his Polish rival, making it the fifth final in a row that the Russian has lost since claiming a maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open title last September.
The 26-year-old’s frustrations boiled over after he was broken in the opening game of the second set, prompting an outburst of anger in the direction of his coaching box.
Cervara had clearly seen and heard enough, and gathered his bag before making his way from the stands as commentators described the developments as “unsavory.”
Medvedev’s wife Daria remained but also appeared uncomfortable at the scenes.
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Sadly after 5 straight attempts, there's still no opportunity for Daniil to celebrate a tournament winThat break at the beginning of the 2nd set sealed the dealActually feeling like Daria rn 😖 pic.twitter.com/Wu7sFcGZrE
— Did Daniil Medvedev Celebrate? (@DidMedCelebrate) June 19, 2022
After the match, Medvedev alluded to the incident but did not mention Cervara by name.
“Daria, thanks a lot for this week,” said the star in a message to his wife.
“Not easy to be with me on the court sometimes but hopefully next time will be easier and much better.
“Also thank you guys [the crowd] very much, sorry for not making this match longer and more interesting!”
The Russian smashed his racket at the conclusion of the loss to Hurkacz, in a match which was also interrupted by a court invasion from an eco-protester.
Medvedev has long had a reputation for bouts of combustible on-court behavior, and fans witnessed a similar spat with Cervara when he quit the stands during a match at the 2021 Australian Open.
But Medvedev, who has worked with Cervara full-time since the end of 2017, has increasingly managed to channel his anger into success as he has ascended the ATP rankings, where he is enjoying a second stint as number one.
But Medvedev was ultimately gracious in defeat as he told the Polish world number 10: “Congrats to you and your team. You guys are super nice. Hopefully a lot more matches to play on the biggest stage. Congrats for a great week and the title.”
Medvedev has suffered back-to-back defeats in the final of successive grass court tournaments, having been stunned by Dutch wildcard Tim van Rijthoven at ‘s-Hertogenbosch earlier this month.
Next up for the 6ft 6in Russian is a meeting with compatriot Aslan Karatsev on grass at the Mallorca Open on Wednesday.
That event would ordinarily serve as preparation for Wimbledon, although Russian and Belarusian players have been banned from this year’s SW19 showpiece because of the conflict in Ukraine.
Both the ATP and women’s WTA have responded by stripping Wimbledon of rankings points.
Once the grass court swing is over, Medvedev will turn his attentions back to the hard courts and his bid to defend his title at the US Open, where Russians have been cleared to compete as neutrals.
Champion Medvedev reacts to US Open clearance
In a boost to his ATP rating, Medvedev saw the gap ahead of Alexander Zverev at the top of pack increase to 1,130 points on Monday, with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal further behind in third and fourth spots respectively.
