Advertisement

Watch Daniil Medvedev's coach storm out of Halle Open final after being screamed at by Russian

Gilles Cervara and Daniil Medvedev - Watch Daniil Medvedev's coach storm out of Halle Open final after being screamed at by Russian - AP
Gilles Cervara and Daniil Medvedev - Watch Daniil Medvedev's coach storm out of Halle Open final after being screamed at by Russian - AP

Daniil Medvedev’s coach stormed out of the world No 1’s Halle Open final defeat after being screamed at by the Russian.

Medvedev was furious at himself for losing to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 6-1, 6-4 and smashed his racket after the pair shook hands at the net.

But his coach, Gilles Cervara, was not there to see the end in person, as he left the arena after Medvedev launched an angry tirade in his direction early in the second set.

Reacting to Hurkacz breaking his serve in the first game of the second set, Medvedev was seen shouting towards his player box. The cameras caught Cervara picking up his bags and exiting the stands soon after.


Post-match, Medvedev thanked his wife – who had been sitting directly behind Cervara – for her continued support despite his behaviour. “Daria, thanks a lot for this week,” he said in his runner-up speech. “Not easy to be with me on the court sometimes but hopefully next time will be easier and much better.”

It was his second loss in a final in seven days, after his surprise defeat by Tim van Rijthoven in ’s-Hertogenbosch.

The final in Halle was also marred in the first set when a court invader appeared to attempt to tie himself to the net, in a copycat of a similar protest at the French Open this month. He was promptly tackled by two security guards.

The tournament in Halle marked one of Medvedev’s last opportunities to play on grass this season, as he remains banned from Wimbledon due to the All England Club’s decision to stop Russian and Belarusian players from competing, in response to the war in Ukraine.

Elsewhere, Ons Jabeur won her second title this season after Belinda Bencic was forced to retire from the bett1open final in Berlin because of an ankle injury she picked up early in the second set. Tunisia’s Jabeur was praised afterwards for her sportsmanship, as she brought Bencic an ice pack to treat her injury.