'What is going on': Coach storms off in 'unbelievable' Aus Open drama
Daniil Medvedev's coach walked out on the Russian tennis star in the middle of his bad-tempered third round clash at the Australian Open on Saturday.
Medvedev extended his winning streak to 17 matches with a hard-earned 6-3 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-0 victory over Serbian Filip Krajinovic on Rod Laver Arena.
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The World No.4's win was far from straightforward, however, with a mid-match meltdown threatening to derail his tournament.
After comfortably taking the opening two sets against his Serbian opponent, things began to quickly unravel for the Russian.
Medvedev could be heard berating his coach Gilles Cervara in French after losing the third set to give Krajinovic a sniff of hope in the contest.
Medvedev reportedly yelled at Cervara to “just let me play” and to be quiet.
His mood only worsened as the Serb jumped out to an early advantage in the fourth set, with the drama far from over.
Still copping verbal sprays from Medvedev in Russian, French and English, the World No.4's coach decided he'd had enough and walked out in the middle of the fourth set.
“He got his bag, packed up and walked out of the stadium,” Jim Courier observed on Channel Nine.
Viewers were left baffled by the extraordinary scenes unfolding on Rod Laver Arena.
🔥 I'M OUTTA HERE 🔥
Daniil Medvedev's coach Gilles Cervara left mid-way through the match after copping some heat from the Russian star.
READ: https://t.co/OFaQqA5Ukn#9WWOS #AusOpen #AO2021 pic.twitter.com/1rE7xo0ZjW— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) February 13, 2021
😡 "THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!" 😡
Daniil Medvedev is losing the plot in the fourth set! 😬
WATCH: @Channel9
STREAM: https://t.co/TYsz5RZN3Z#9WWOS #AusOpen #AO2021 pic.twitter.com/UqLFEr02uJ— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) February 13, 2021
What is going on with Medvedev.
— A1🇳🇬🇳🇬 (@A1Deniro) February 13, 2021
Medvedev yelled at his coach in French “Can you just let me play!”
His coach just left the stadium. 😟#AusOpen— Sara Sisti 🇨🇦 (@12SaraaZ) February 13, 2021
Medvedev just threw his coach out the stadium 😭😭
— Alex (@AIexBarbaro) February 13, 2021
Daniil Medvedev in danger of going 5 with Krajinovic, and his coach just walked out.
Live Twitter coverage of the #AusOoen on @TennisPodcast. https://t.co/NMyk5r8Vy5— David Law (@DavidLawTennis) February 13, 2021
Medvedev's coach has just walked out haha
— Daniel Mccoll (@macca441) February 13, 2021
Medvedev's coach just left his box? What's going on there lol
— JCeptable (@JCeptable) February 13, 2021
Medvedev’s coach just left him 😂😂
— Match Point Bets (@Props_N_Tennis) February 13, 2021
Russian star overcomes meltdown
Medvedev then took a medical timeout with his opponent 5-2 up before returning to see Krajinovic send the match into a deciding fifth set.
Things looked particularly bleak for the Russian, who had never won a five-set match in six previous attempts.
Incredibly though, it was one-way traffic in a lopsided final set as Medvedev finally regained his composure to stem the bleeding.
The 25-year-old steamrolled Krajinovic in the deciding set, somehow managing to not drop a game as he booked his place in the fourth round.
The charismatic but often volatile star cheekily claimed in his post-match interview that his coach left after knowing that the Russian was going to win.
“He said just before leaving that he was sure I was gonna win the match but he was gonna leave me alone to be more calm actually,” he told reporters.
“I won’t tell more because that was a good thing to do and luckily I won.”
Medvedev will now face Mackenzie McDonald for a sport in the quarter-finals.
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