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The poor state of the claycourts at the Chile Open has left tennis fans shocked and appalled, prompting mentions of Daniil Medvedev, given his well-known aversion to the surface.
Players have been vocal about the unsatisfactory conditions at the Chile Open, expressing frustration with the way the courts have been performing. Following his loss to Corentin Moutet in the opening round, Roberto Carballes Baena aired his grievances with the "sh*t" court conditions at the ATP 250 event in Santiago and raised concerns about potential injuries due to the irregular bounce and "sinking" courts.
"What do you want me to tell you, that the tournament is sh*t? That on the court you can’t play? I think it’s a shame that an ATP is played on this court, I think it’s dangerous for the players. Hopefully this tournament will never be held again," he told CLAY.
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"This is not tennis, in the end this becomes the tombola. With fear all the time to get injured and with terrible bounces… and sometimes the ball doesn’t even bounce! I did feel that I could get injured. Every time I was forced I was afraid to tighten my leg because it was sinking all the time. In fact I ended up with discomfort in my back," Baena added.
Baena's complaints were validated by a clip circulating on social media that showcased the ball dying unexpectedly after landing on the court during a rally at the event.
Tennis fans were left in disbelief over the subpar court conditions at the ATP 250 event.
"I started to watch this thinking it probably won’t be that bad..haha. Worst bounce I’ve ever seen, by some margin. I’d be fuming!!!" a fan commented.
"The state of the court is literally beyond pathetic. Not even NYC public tennis courts play that bad. This court is not even fit for an ITF Futures," another fan wrote.
Amid the dismay, some fans found humor in the situation by making references to Daniil Medvedev's famous aversion to clay courts, with one fan humorously recalling the Russian's request to be defaulted during the 2021 Italian Open.
"Medvedev laughing maniacally somewhere," a fan posted.
"Gerry default me, I don't want to play on this ssssssurface," another fan chimed in.
Here are a few more reactions from fans:
Daniil Medvedev to take on Lorenzo Sonego in Dubai Tennis Championships 2R
Daniil Medvedev kicked off his title defense at the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Alexander Shevchenko in 88 minutes in his tournament opener.
The Russian is aiming to pull off his first successful title defense in Dubai, and he admitted to feeling the added pressure of achieving this feat at the ATP 500 event.
"I wanna think that it doesn't add any pressure, but, to be honest, I really am already, not, 20, let's say, and I want to defend the title somewhere at least once in my career, and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna do it. But, the time is passing, you know? And, so I try. I try here this week. It's not gonna be easy. It's a lot of great players, but, I hope I can do it," Daniil Medvedev said in his on-court interview.
Daniil Medvedev will square off against Lorenzo Sonego in the second round. The World No. 4 enjoys a 2-0 winning record against Sonego, having defeated the Italian 6-3, 6-2 in their most recent encounter at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters.
