Daniil Medvedev's clay-court struggles reached a dramatic new low as he suffered the first 6-0, 6-0 loss of his professional career, culminating in a spectacular racquet-smashing outburst during the Monte Carlo Masters.
Matteo Berrettini delivered a masterclass performance, dismantling the world number 10 in just 49 minutes on the red dirt Medvedev has famously derided. The Russian's frustration boiled over early in the second set when, after dropping the opener and immediately losing serve, he hurled his racquet against the court's backboard.
To the amusement of spectators, Medvedev retrieved the damaged equipment only to smash it against the ground six consecutive times, snapping it cleanly in half before discarding the pieces.
The combustible star, who once described clay as "a surface for losers" and likened playing on it to being "like a dog in the dirt," managed no more than two points in any of the final eleven games. His dismal statistics included 28 unforced errors, five double faults, and winning just four of 21 points behind his second serve.
Berrettini, the 2021 Wimbledon finalist currently ranked 90th as he rebuilds following injury, called it "one of the best performances of my life." The Italian wildcard added, "I think I missed three shots in the entire match. The game plan was perfect and my weapons were working."
In a post-match nod to Italian culture, Berrettini wrote 'scusa Carlo' on a camera lens—an apology to actor Carlo Verdone, who had recently named Medvedev as his favorite player.
Medvedev's temper has become a recurring theme in his career, most notably during last year's US Open where he had a public meltdown after a photographer entered the court mid-match.
Berrettini advances to face rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca in the next round. Meanwhile, another upset saw world number 15 Andrey Rublev exit early, falling 6-4, 6-1 to Belgium's Zizou Bergs.