WATCH: Daniil Medvedev takes his frustration out on the grass at Halle, smashes racket repeatedly after shock 2R exit
Daniil Medvedev became the latest high-ranked player to depart the 2024 Halle Open, losing in the second round on July 19.
Medvedev chose the Halle Open to kick off his 2024 grass swing and started his campaign with a hard-fought win against Nuno Borges in the first round. The third-seeded Russian faced Zhang Zhizhen in the second round.
Zhang broke Medvedev midway through the first set and maintained his lead to take the opener. In the second set, the Chinese No. 1 looked good until 2-2, but Medvedev roared back by winning four games on the trot and restoring parity.
The deciding set went into a tiebreaker, and the former US Open champion stood just two points away from victory at 5-3. However, he was denied the chance to close out the match as Zhang won the next four points to secure his second top-5 win 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (5). With this victory, Zhang also became the first Chinese player to reach the Halle Open quarterfinals, where he will face Christoper Eubanks.
Medvedev was seemingly livid with his own performance and let out his frustration on his racket and the grass court. The 28-year-old repeatedly smashed his racket on the court before exchanging pleasantries with Zhang at the net.
You can watch the moment below:
Medvedev to play Wimbledon Championships next, where he is defending semifinal points
Daniil Medvedev's next appearance will come at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. The Russian is defending 800 points at SW19, having reached his maiden semifinal there last year.
Medvedev was the third seed at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. The former World No. 1 defeated Arthur Fery, Adrian Mannarino, Marton Fucsovics, Jiri Lehecka, and Christopher Eubanks before losing to eventual champion and No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals.
Medvedev would be hoping to match, if not better, his result from last year's Wimbledon.
The Russian has been performing below his usual standard lately, and is one of only two players in the top 10 of the ATP Rankings without a title this year. Medvedev failed to defend his titles in Rotterdam, Qatar, Dubai, Miami and Rome, with his best performance this year being runners-up finishes at the Australian Open and the Indian Wells Masters.