Daniil Medvedev has made no secret about his aversion to clay, and that frustration reared its head in a chaotic moment at the 2026 Monte-Carlo Masters. The incident has prompted criticism from Pete Sampras and Roger Federer’s former coach, Paul Annacone.
The outburst was prompted by the Russian’s struggle to put up a challenge against Matteo Berrettini in the second round, who claimed a stunning 6-0, 6-0 victory in just 49 minutes. The defeat marked the first double bagel of Medvedev’s career, abruptly ending his campaign at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
Why Paul Annacone Called Out Daniil Medvedev’s ‘Dangerous’ Racket Smash
With Matteo Berrettini cruising to a 6-0, 2-0 lead in the contest, Daniil Medvedev let his frustration boil over in dramatic fashion. He hurled his racket onto the court and smashed it seven times before finally tossing the wreckage into the bin. The outburst disappointed Paul Annacone, who suggested that the former world No. 1 should take Andy Roddick’s advice on smashing rackets without endangering spectators.
“But the thing that really disappoints me is I think, you know, you want to learn from every experience. So in the racket break, you go to the Andy Roddick School of the slamming, where you throw it face down after the first 2 or 3, because you don’t want to risk bouncing it and getting it near anyone where it can get dangerous for the people and the fans. So I think Roddick should start to open up some some kind of school of racket breaking. You guys have seen his video, right?” Annacone said on the Tennis Channel.
Annacone also provided an in-depth analysis of the reasons behind Medvedev’s “horrible” relationship with clay after the 30-year-old notched up 27 unforced errors while managing just three winners in the match.
“Daniil Medvedev has always had a horrible relationship with the clay, and I think so much of it is about the fact that he has no rotation on his groundstrokes because he can slide, he can move on. The clay plays deep in the court. The ball just kind of sits up. He generally waits for the game to come to him and on clay, it actually never gets to him. And when he plays a match like this, he can go south quickly,” he said.
While the American credited Medvedev for continuing to compete instead of simply giving up, he acknowledged that the 2021 US Open champion would likely prefer to forget the match altogether.
“I give him credit. He really mostly tried. You could see the frustration,” he added. “It’s just the start of the season. Let’s see how things go for Daniil. But he’ll want to erase this in the memory.”
MORE: Daniil Medvedev Warned by Gilbert About Racket Smash After ‘Lucky’ Escape in Monte-Carlo
How Matteo Berrettini Executed a ‘Perfect’ Game Plan Against Daniil Medvedev
Berrettini was delighted to produce one of the finest performances of his career to oust Medvedev from the ATP Masters 1000 event, taking satisfaction in the execution of his “perfect” game plan. The Italian was clinical throughout, converting six of eight break-point chances while offering the former world No. 1 little opportunity to mount any resistance.
“I think it was one of the best performances of my life,” Berrettini said in his post-match interview. “I think I missed three shots in the entire match and it is not easy against a tricky player like Daniil. I think the game plan was perfect and my weapons were working.”
Following his dominant victory over Daniil Medvedev, Matteo Berrettini will square off against João Fonseca in a blockbuster third-round clash. If he beats Fonseca, the Italian will face the winner between Alexander Zverev and Zizou Bergs in the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters.
