Daniil Medvedev's Chaos: Birds, Drama, and a Straight-Sets Victory
Daniil Medvedev has never needed much help to find chaos on a tennis court. On this occasion, he got it from two small brown birds.
While Kim Birrell was enduring a rough start against Ekaterina Alexandrova, dropping the first set 6-1 in just over 20 minutes after slipping behind 5-0 almost before she could settle, Medvedev was busy turning a routine straight-sets win over American Sebastian Gorzny into another entry in his personal catalogue of mayhem.
Birds on the net, temper on a knife edge
The flashpoint came in the second set. Medvedev and Gorzny were locked in a rally when two birds casually perched themselves on top of the net, unfazed by the pace of the ball zipping beneath them.
Chair umpire Timo Janzen let the point continue.
Medvedev unloaded on a forehand, a crunching winner that whistled so close to one of the birds it finally took flight. Only then did Janzen call a let and order the point to be replayed.
Medvedev snapped.
“This is the most ridiculous decisions I’ve seen in my life … this is very bad,” he protested, incredulous that the interruption had been called only after he’d struck the winner.
From the commentary box, former pro Sam Querrey sided with him, baffled by the delay in the call.
"That was incredible … how did they not move before? I've never seen that before in my life," Querrey said. "It had to be a let, surely. I just don't know why it took (Janzen) so long to call it."
The moment fit seamlessly into Medvedev’s long-running theatre with officials and crowds. This time, the supporting cast just happened to be feathered.
Another chapter in Medvedev’s New York drama
Asked afterwards where the bird incident ranked in a career full of strange on-court episodes, Medvedev didn’t hesitate.
“This would be definitely in the top five,” he said.
He then laid out his frustration in typically blunt fashion.
“When they came in, I thought, 'OK, the referee is going to stop the point', and he let it play, like, ‘OK, let’s play.’ And the moment I hit the winner, he was, like, ‘Stop! Stop! Stop!’”
The scene immediately evoked memories of his previous meltdowns in New York.
Last year, on the same Louis Armstrong court, he crashed out in the first round after losing his cool when the umpire allowed Benjamin Bonzi a second serve because a photographer had mistakenly entered the court too early. The dispute dragged on for more than six minutes.
Go back further to 2019, again on Armstrong, and the script was even more combustible. Medvedev’s antics during a match, followed by a post-match interview in which he goaded the crowd to keep booing him, earned him a US$9,000 fine and cemented his role as one of Flushing Meadows’ great modern villains.
This time, though, the storm passed quickly. No prolonged delay, no lingering feud.
“It’s OK,” the 2021 champion said. “It happens.”
Birrell battles, Alexandrova cruises
While Medvedev wrestled with birds and officiating, Kim Birrell was fighting simply to stay afloat.
Her first set against Russian No.18 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova was brutal. She trailed 5-0 in a blur, unable to find any rhythm as Alexandrova dictated. Birrell at least avoided the humiliation of a double bagel, finally holding serve, but the respite was brief. Alexandrova earned two set points; Birrell saved one, but the second slipped away, sealing the set 6-1.
It was harsh, fast, and unforgiving — the kind of start that leaves a player searching for answers while the scoreboard races away.
Medvedev, by contrast, walked off with a straight-sets win and another surreal story to add to his New York folklore. The birds will fly off and be forgotten. His running drama with this stadium will not.
