This was the first tournament for Medvedev since splitting from Gilles Simon, but there have been similar signs from previous events for the world number seven.

Despite winning his aforementioned first round match against Wawrinka, Medvedev was still frustrated and ranted against the umpire.

Medvedev’s exit opens up the bottom half of the Rotterdam Open, with Alex de Minaur, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Arthur Fils the remaining seeds in that section.

Fans were shocked by Medvedev’s loss in Rotterdam, but perhaps even more surprised at a shot he hit during his defeat to Bellucci.

Fans react to terrible Daniil Medvedev shot at the Rotterdam Open

During the second set, that Medvedev had to win after losing the first, he led Bellucci 4-3 with it still on serve.

With the Italian 30-0 up, Medvedev got himself in a good position to make it 30-15 and approached the net with the whole court open to hit into.

However, Medvedev decided to try and play a drop shot that nestled in the bottom of the net at the side of the court.

This prompted a strong response from the commentator, who just said, “What on earth happened there!”

The commentator was not the only person to have been left aghast by this shot selection from Medvedev, as fans flooded social media with their reactions.

Although it is only February, one fan suggested that this should already be awarded an award for the worst miss in 2025.

“Miss of the year omg,” one fan said on X (formerly known as Twitter).

While Medvedev scratched his head in confusion at what was happening, others saw the funny side of the situation, “Funniest player on tour, bar none.”

Another suggested that Medvedev made them laugh more than any other player, “Funniest player of all time.”

There were also numerous fans that seemed almost pleased by Medvedev’s miss, as it made them feel less inferior to professional players.

One said, “And for one moment in time, my tennis ability looked just like that of a pro player.”

Followed by, “What I kept doing in my singles match last night.”

An additional person added, “He gives us club players hope.”

Medvedev wants to improve a certain area of his game, and the reaction to this shot is unlikely to help this.

The 28-year-old did actually go onto win that set, but could not go all the way in the decider.

What is going wrong for Daniil Medvedev?

It has been a tough start to the 2025 season for Medvedev, who lost early at the Australian Open to teenager Learner Tien in a match that finished at 2:55am.

This is highlighted by his titleless drought, with Medvedev not winning a title since the Italian Open in May 2023.

Despite going without a title in nearly two years, the former US Open champion has been in two Grand Slam finals since then and Medvedev also achieved a rare feat in 2024.

Medvedev hit eight double faults against Bellucci in Rotterdam, and fans on social media have pinpointed other areas of his game that could be of concern.

One said, “Sucks to see tbh (to be honest), the talent is still all there, he’s just got something mentally stopping him from playing at an elite level. Happened around the end of summer last year, really thought he’d have it worked out for the new year, just hasn’t though.”

Another added, “Wow he can be so awkward…..his shots have lost several mph’s…..”

Someone else suggested that the birth of his second child could be playing part into his poor start to the season.

“What has happened to the wild octopus I used to love to watch? Doesn’t look happy on court anymore. Timing coincides with some tough losses and the birth of his kid. Can’t really blame him for having fomo (fear of missing out), but hope he can find his love for the game again.”

Medvedev has a busy upcoming schedule, and is set to compete for three consecutive weeks before heading to North America for the sunshine double of Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

Related Topics