Tennis Controversies of the Week: Furious Daniil Medvedev, Paula Badosa, Danielle Collins involved in on-court outbursts, Novak Djokovic becomes target of foul remarks at Australian Open, and more

Daniil Medvedev, Paula Badosa, and Danielle Collins made headlines with their on-court outbursts during the 2025 Australian Open. Novak Djokovic was targeted by inappropriate comments from sports broadcaster Tony Jones in Melbourne.

Meanwhile, tennis insider criticized for highlighting Olga Danilovic's famous father and boyfriend over her Australian Open third-round win. Zheng Qinwen opened up about her unique post-match interaction philosophy.

On that note, here's a recap of the top tennis controversies from last week:

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Daniil Medvedev, Paula Badosa, and Danielle Collins stirred controversy with their on-court outbursts

Daniil Medvedev had an outburst during his 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over World No. 418 Kasidit Samrej in the first round of the 2025 Australian Open. After winning the first set easily, Medvedev saw Samrej make a comeback to claim the second.

In the third set, a net cord changed the ball’s direction during a crucial rally on Samrej’s serve, costing Medvedev the point. Frustrated, he angrily smashed the net camera multiple times.

Watch the video here:

Medvedev's frustration continued in his second-round 3-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(8), 6-1, 6-7(7) loss to Learner Tien. When Tien broke Medvedev’s serve with a lob to take a 4-3 lead in the second set, the latter threw his racket, earning a point penalty. He also skipped the post-match press conference.

As a result of these incidents, the tournament organizers fined Medvedev AUD 76,000, deducted from his AUD 123,000 earnings from reaching the second round.

On the WTA side, Danielle Collins was involved in a back-and-forth with a hostile Melbourne crowd during her 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-2 victory over local player Destanee Aiava in the second round.

After her victory, she celebrated with a mix of gestures, including the 'cupping ear,' a flying kiss, and a 'kiss my as*' celebration. The tension escalated further during her on-court interview, where her remarks about a "fat paycheck" and the "super drunk" crowd provoked more anger.

This led to her facing even more boos from the crowd when she entered the Rod Laver Arena for her third-round match against compatriot Madison Keys. Collins waved to the crowd but responded with a dry smile upon hearing boos. She ultimately lost the match 4-6, 4-6.

Watch the video here:

In other news, Paula Badosa clarified a misunderstanding about her apparent outburst toward her boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas during her 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 third-round win over 17th seed Marta Kostyuk. Tsitsipas, who had already exited in the first round in the men’s singles, was seen seemingly calming Badosa after cameras captured her animated gestures during a break.

Watch the video here:

Later, Badosa explained on X (formerly Twitter) that her frustration was directed at her coach, Pol Toledo, seated in front of Tsitsipas.

"I wasn’t with Stef it was with my coach that was in front of Stef. Let’s not try to create drama. Stef was the best supporter out there," Badosa wrote.

11th seed Paula Badosa went on to defeat Olga Danilovic to reach her maiden quarterfinal in Melbourne, where she will take on third seed Coco Gauff. The winner of this match will take on either defending champion Aryna Sabalenka or 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the semifinals.

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Sports broadcaster came under fire for disrespectful comments on Novak Djokovic

Sports broadcaster Tony Jones faced criticism for mocking Novak Djokovic and his fans during the 2025 Australian Open. Djokovic, aiming for his 25th Grand Slam title, advanced to the quarterfinals with wins over Nishesh Basavareddy, Jaime Faria, Tomas Machac, and Jiri Lehecka. He is set to face Carlos Alcaraz on January 20, 2025.

After Djokovic’s fourth-round victory, his supporters gathered outside the Nine News Melbourne booth to celebrate with enthusiastic chants of his name. In response, Jones, who was hosting the network’s Australian Open coverage, mocked them by calling Djokovic "overrated" and a "has-been," suggesting he should be removed from the country.

"Back to Melbourne Park, where you can see the Novak Djokovic fans there in full voice. The chants are quite extraordinary. Novak, he's overated! Novak's a has-been! Novak, kick him out! Boy I'm glad they can't hear me," he said.

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Tennis insider sparked outrage for focusing on Olga Danilovic’s family and boyfriend after Australian Open 3R win

Tennis insider Jose Morgado faced backlash for focusing on Olga Danilovic's personal connections rather than her impressive 7-6(3), 6-1 win over seventh seed Jessica Pegula in the third round of the 2025 Australian Open.

Danilovic's father, Predrag "Sasha" Danilovic, is renowned as one of Europe's greatest basketball shooting guards and had a stint in the NBA with the Miami Heat from 1995 to 1997. Her boyfriend, Jan Oblak, is a prominent Slovenian soccer player, serving as Atletico Madrid’s goalkeeper and captain of Slovenia’s national team.

After her third-round victory, Morgado acknowledged Danilovic’s famous ties but emphasized that the victory was solely hers.

"Daughter of a basketball legend. Girlfriend of a football superstar. But today it's ALL ABOUT HER! Idemo, Olga," Morgado posted on X.

Olga Danilovic struggled to maintain her momentum, falling 1-6, 6-7(2) to 11th seed Paula Badosa in the fourth round.

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Zheng Qinwen explains her unique approach to post-match interactions

Zheng Qinwen during the 2024 China Open (Image source: Getty)

Zheng Qinwen revealed why she refrains from smiling or hugging her opponents during the post-match net exchanges.

During her Australian Open press conference, she clarified that while she always respects her opponent with a handshake, she doesn’t feel the need to smile.

"Well, I always give a handshake to my opponent because I feel that basic respect doesn't matter if I win or lose I always give a handshake but not always I give a handshake with a smiley face I know myself," Zheng Qinwen said.

Having faced criticism for her seemingly cold interactions at the net, Zheng explained that she avoids hugging or showing a cheerful demeanor because she believes it detracts from the seriousness of the match.

While many fans praised the Chinese star’s honesty, others noted that players like Iga Swiatek wouldn’t receive the same leniency, especially after her criticized cold handshake with Coco Gauff at the United Cup.

Last year's runner-up Zheng Qinwen's Australian Open campaign ended in disappointment as she lost 6-7(3), 3-6 to Laura Siegemund in the second round. Iga Swiatek, on the other hand, defeated Katerina Siniakova, Rebecca Sramkova, and Emma Raducanu to reach the fourth round, where she will take on Eva Lys. The winner of this match will take on either eighth-seed Emma Navarro or ninth-seed Daria Kasatkina in the quarterfinals.