“`html
Daniil Medvedev took his frustration out on his racquet following his early exit
Wimbledon 2025
Dates: 30 June-13 July Venue: All England Club
Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app.
Two-time semi-finalist Daniil Medvedev visibly expressed his frustration by destroying his racquet after a stunning first-round defeat at Wimbledon.
The world number nine from Russia was defeated by Benjamin Bonzi, the Frenchman ranked 64th, in a 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 match. Medvedev was then seen smashing his racquet against his chair and bag.
This marks the first time in seven Wimbledon appearances that Medvedev, a semi-finalist in the past two years, has failed to advance past the first round.
For Bonzi, 29, this victory marks his first ever against a top-10 ranked opponent and equals his best Wimbledon result, reaching the second round.
Medvedev commented: “[It’s] tough, I mean, sad. I felt like I didn’t play too bad. I don’t see much I could do better.
“I was surprised by his level. I know that he can play well. I would be surprised if you find a match of him playing like this any other time this year. I’m surprised he did today. But it can happen. That’s when sensations happen.”
Thousands queue for Wimbledon opening day
British qualifier Tarvet into Wimbledon second round
Kartal gets British women off to winning start at Wimbledon
Medvedev is a former US Open champion and has reached a further five major finals.
While the 29-year-old is primarily known as a hard-court player, his recent Wimbledon performances suggested a potential improvement over his first and second-round exits at the Australian Open and French Open earlier this year.
However, Bonzi seized control in crucial tie-breaks in the first and third sets before securing an impressive four-set victory after three hours and seven minutes.
Bonzi’s unexpected win broke a six-match Tour-level losing streak on grass, and he will now face Australian Jordan Thompson in the next round.
“This is special for me today. It is my first top-10 win at a slam and it is always special at this tournament. I love this place,” Bonzi stated.
“Daniil is a great player. I knew it was a tough match but sometimes it is better to play those players in the first round, when anything can happen.”
In other news from Monday, Greek former world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas, 26, retired due to injury after the 24th seed fell two sets behind against French world number 113 Valentin Royer.
Tsitsipas later attributed his retirement to a recurring back problem.
“Tennis is a rotational sport, and if you can’t rotate, then there’s no reason playing it,” Tsitsipas explained.
“It’s something that I’ve been dealing with for many years now, my lower left-side back. It can be a very tricky injury.”
Live scores, results and order of play
Get tennis news sent straight to your phone
“`