'He is livid': Wild moment Daniil Medvedev lashes out at camera

Tennis star Daniil Medvedev had an angry outburst after colliding with an on-court camera during his match against compatriot Andrey Rublev at the Western & Southern Open.

The Russian duo were facing off ahead of the US Open, with Medvedev winning the first set, before the unfortunate moment happened.

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Medvedev collided with the camera during a rally and, clearly annoyed at its positioning on the court, shoved the lens with his foot before complaining to the umpire: "I could have broken my hand".

The world No.2 then needed a medical timeout for treatment on his left hand.

Whether it inhibited him was unclear, but fourth seed Rublev surged back to gain a first career win over his friend, prevailing 2-6 6-3 6-3.

Fans on social media were left somewhat stunned by the incident, with Sportsnet's Lukas Weese reporting that Medvedev had raised the positioning of the cameras with officials earlier in the tournament.

"He is livid with the tournament referee, after colliding his hand into the camera behind the court," Weese wrote.

"Says that he's brought this issue up, since he stands so far behind the baseline."

Others also weighed in on the bizarre moment.

Despite the loss to Rublev, the first time in Medvedev's career that he has lost to his Russian counterpart, the world No.2 was nevertheless feeling confident heading into the US Open.

With a slew of big names set to be absent from the tournament, the 25-year-old stands as one of the biggest obstacles to Serbian star Novak Djokovic completing the calendar Grand Slam.

Medvedev setting up nicely for US Open

The world No.2, who fell to Rafael Nadal in an epic five-set final at Flushing Meadows in 2019, is guaranteed not to suffer the same fate this year after the Spaniard pulled out because of a nagging foot injury.

In addition to Nadal, past champions Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem and Juan Martin Del Potro will also be missing in action in New York.

"I'm going to try to do my best. If I manage to keep the level I'm playing at right now, I have good chances to go far," Medvedev told reporters after crushing Pablo Carreno Busta 6-1 6-1 to reach the semi-finals of the Western & Southern Open on Friday.

But the big-serving Russian said he knows anything can happen on the sport's biggest stages.

"One day you might feel not so good," said Medvedev, who complained about the stifling heat at the Tokyo Olympics before falling in the quarter-finals.

"You're going to get an opponent who is going to play the best match of his life."

And although those other titans of the game are out of the picture, the most dangerous player in all of tennis, world No.1 Novak Djokovic, will be especially motivated.

The Serb heads to New York looking to complete a calendar grand slam and earn a record-breaking 21st men's grand slam title.

"Definitely Novak is going to be the highest contender," Medvedev said.

"He's winning almost all the grand slams right now. He won already 20. He has experience. He has a level. I'm not gonna lie.

"So he's the man under pressure, but I think he likes it. Some guys under pressure can crack. That's not Novak. So he's definitely the main contender," he said, noting if they do meet it will be in the final since they will be on opposite sides of the draw.

"When I play good in New York, I can get good results, and of course, yeah, I want to win it," he said.

The US Open runs from August 30 to September 12.

With AAP

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