Svetlana Kuznetsova says "Daniil remains Daniil" after Medvedev's chaotic first-round exit in Rotterdam.
On Monday, the top-ranked Russian male tennis player had quite a day at the office, losing his cool multiple times at the Dutch ATP 500 tournament.
Playing against world No. 36 Ugo Humbert, Medvedev lost a very tight first set in a tie-break. Moments later, the No. 4 seed called the Rotterdam supervisor onto the court to complain about the HEAD balls used at the tournament. During his rant, the former world No. 1 even questioned whether the balls were actually "round."
Daniil Medvedev complaining about the HEAD balls to the supervisor during his match against Humbert in Rotterdam
“HEAD balls. Are they round? Are you sure? I think maybe we should consider not playing with HEAD balls.”
“HEAD balls are not round. So we should not be playing with… pic.twitter.com/R0dGRy4HsW
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 9, 2026
After the incident, Medvedev went on to open a 3-0 lead and take the second set.
In the third set, Medvedev fell 1-4 behind – started losing his cool once again – but then served out the sixth game and clinched three consecutive break points in the following game. But just when it seemed that the Russian would fully come back in the third set, he failed to convert his break point chances as Humbert went on to complete a 7-6 (4) 3-6 6-3 win.
Kuznetsova, the 2004 US Open and the 2009 US Open champion, suggests Medvedev's entire personality was on full display in Rotterdam.
Kuznetsova: After going crazy twice and swearing, Medvedev started to play… But then lost after not converting break points
“Danill remains Danill: behavior right on the edge, his focus drifting off toward the balls again. But the most interesting thing is that after going crazy twice and swearing – after the first set and at 1-4 in the third – he started playing better. And of course, the key moment: twice he failed to convert 0–40 on return… That’s where the result comes from – a first-round loss to Humbert in Rotterdam. It’s a pity,” former world No. 2 Kuznetsova wrote on Telegram.
Medvedev has never shied away from expressing his true feelings on the court.
Over the last few years, Medvedev admitted that he was trying to change certain things in his behavior, but also noted that being fully calm on the court was probably impossible for him.
