Daniil Medvedev slams umpire for 'most ridiculous decision I've seen in my life' during US Open second-round win as birds interrupt match

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When former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev arrives on court, chaos often soon follows. And his 2026 US Open second-round match against Sebastian Gorzny on Wednesday was no exception - with one of the most bizarre moments in recent Grand Slam memory.

Daniil Medvedev reacts against Sebastian Gorzny of the United States during their Men's Singles Second Round match on Day Four of the 2026 US Open

Image credit: Getty Images

Medvedev ran out a routine winner over his No. 731-ranked opponent, rounding out the 6-1 6-3 7-5 victory in a little over two hours.

But the undoubted flashpoint occurred during the second set, when two birds sat upon the net during a lengthy baseline exchange between the two players.

On match footage, the two birds are visible as two small specs sitting on top of the net, and that was where they remained, as Medvedev and Gornzy fired venomous ground-strokes at one another.

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That was until a cross-court Medvedev forehand came a little too close for comfort, sending one of the birds flying away - at which point the chair umpire seemed to notice, and was the catalyst for a decision which massively angered the Russian.

He was visibly stunned when the umpire ordered the point to be replayed, and - in typical Medvedev fashion - told the umpire exactly how he felt.

"This is the most ridiculous decision I've seen in my life," Medvedev fumed. "This is very bad."

The 2021 US Open champion, though, did not allow his frustrations to negatively impact his performance. He held serve all the way through the second-round match, and found decisive breaks in the second and third sets to secure a straightforward passage to the third round at Flushing Meadows.

Speaking after the victory, Medvedev addressed the bird incident which left his proverbial wings temporarily ruffled.

"I saw [the birds] straight away," Medvedev said in his on-court interview. "I thought the point would stop straight away but it didn't.

"Then we play for 45 seconds and the moment I hit the winner we say stop. I'm like: 'Why? We played for 45 seconds!'.

"But it's okay. I was not happy with the decision, but it is what it is. You can't do anything with it.

"The situation was pretty crazy, but I love this court, I'm happy to win, to stay in the US Open, to stay in New York for longer."

Medvedev, who will face Arthur Rinderknech in the third round, is regularly involved in explosive on-court confrontations, and last week, amused fans when he suggested he should take up pickleball or curling instead of tennis during a changeover in his defeat to Martin Damm Jr. at the Winston-Salem Open.

More severe on-court meltdowns have seen Medvedev incur fines, including at last year's US Open when he was docked £31,450 after his furious reaction to opponent Benjamin Bonzi being allowed to retake his first serve following an interruption from a courtside photographer.

Earlier last year, Medvedev was fined £62,456 following his first-round win at the Australian Open for destroying on-court cameras with his racquet, protesting decisions from the umpire and failing to show up for his press conference.

His run to the third round at Flushing Meadows is a marked improvement on last year's first-round exit, and a sign of his general upturn in form at major tournaments, after a difficult 2025 saw him win just one match across the four tournaments.

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