Daniil Medvedev, the Russian former world No 1, had an extraordinary racket-smashing meltdown during a shock 6-0, 6-0 loss to Matteo Berrettini at the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday.
Ranked 10th in the world, Medvedev received a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct but is also facing the prospect of a fine after losing control at the beginning of the second set.
The 30-year-old smashed his racket into the floor seven times in the space of 35 seconds.
The furious outburst came at the start of the second set when Medvedev hit a forehand into the net to have his serve broken and lose his eighth consecutive game.
He first threw the racket into the floor and then to the back of the court before picking it up and twice hurling it full force straight into the clay.
Medvedev then seemed to be walking calmly to retrieve the now broken racket but hurled it down a further three times before posting it into the court-side bin.
By the fourth time he threw his racket to the ground, the crowd had even begun greeting each moment of racket abuse with a sarcastic “olé”.
Medvedev, who won the US Open in 2021 and had beaten Berrettini in their previous three meetings, lost the match against his wildcard opponent ranked 90th in the world in just 49 minutes.
He is only the fifth top-10-ranked player since the ATP rankings started in 1973 to lose a match by what is known as a double bagel – without winning a single game. It last happened 10 years ago when David Goffin beat Tomas Berdych at the Italian Open.
“I wouldn’t expect to win like that and it doesn’t happen that often,” said Berrettini, the 2021 Wimbledon finalist.
“It was definitely one of the best performances of my life. I think I missed three shots in the whole match.”
The result was all the more remarkable given Medvedev’s recent good form, including a win against World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells. It was, however, his first match this year on clay.