Medvedev punches Vienna court instead of racket, then beats Norrie in three sets

The punch on Thursday

Daniil Medvedev beat Cameron Norrie 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(1) on Thursday, 29 October, in the second round of the Vienna Open, according to the New York Times. Adnkronos places the same match in the round of 16, and Fanpage gives the third-set score as 7-5, so the reports differ on the final scoreline. The ATP 500 event was won last year by Jannik Sinner. The moment that drew attention came in the third set, after Medvedev lost his serve to a net cord and Norrie led 2-0. Rather than smashing his racket, the usual outlet for frustration, Medvedev struck the court with his fist several times, and Fanpage reports that he knelt before doing so. The NYT says he came back from match point down, while Fanpage says he trailed 5-3 in the third set, saved a match point and finished the match after about two and a half hours.

What he told the umpire

During a changeover between games, Medvedev spoke to the chair umpire about the punches. The NYT quotes him as follows.

“If you hurt yourself, at least you don't get fined. The ATP likes it when people hurt themselves.”

The ATP Tour did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the NYT adds. Fanpage says spectators in the stands could hear the blow on the concrete and describes the remark as the most pointed of the match. The exchange came after the third-set outburst and before Medvedev recovered to win the set.

Rules and past fines

The 2026 rulebook, as the NYT describes it, sets a fine of up to $500 per racket-abuse violation, on top of on-court penalties. A broader unsportsmanlike-conduct provision allows fines of up to $40,000 at ATP 500 tournaments, covering behaviour considered abusive or harmful to the event or the sport. The rules forbid racket abuse by name yet say nothing specific about punching the court, so the broader provision could cover both the punches and the remarks, the NYT says. Penalties totalling over $125,000 since January 2025 relate to his conduct at three events, per the NYT, including $7,000 for smashing his racket seven times at the Monte Carlo Masters in April. In that Monte Carlo match he lost 6-0, 6-0 to Matteo Berrettini, and he broke the racket enough to fit it into a courtside bin. The NYT notes that it was his first tour-level defeat without winning a game.

Racket abuse, maximum per violation500

Unsportsmanlike conduct at ATP 500, maximum40,000

Monte Carlo racket smashing, fine7,000

Racket abuse, maximum per violation

500 USD

Unsportsmanlike conduct at ATP 500, maximum

40000 USD

Monte Carlo racket smashing, fine

7000 USD

Data from the article text

Precedent and what comes next

Medvedev is not the first player to injure himself in frustration. At Wimbledon in 2024, Andrey Rublev struck his knee with his racket during a first-round loss to Francisco Comesaña and was left bloodied. Rublev said afterward that he had aimed his frustration at himself rather than risk damaging the surface. The NYT links the latest outburst to an earlier disqualification at a China Open, while Interia describes a Beijing semifinal in which Medvedev hit a fan with a ball, an incident that led to disqualification and that it says was unclear as to intent. Medvedev now faces Adrian Mannarino in the Vienna quarter-finals, according to Fanpage. Fanpage says the win consolidates his fifth place in the rankings and gives him a ticket to the ATP Finals in Turin. Interia adds that he won the Hangzhou final after the US Open and the Almaty final against Basilashvili.