The photojournalist, whose act caused a 7-minute delay in Daniil Medvedev’s US Open 2025 first-round match, has broken his silence on what happened on the court.
US Open winner in 2021, Daniil Medvedev was eliminated in the first round of the same Grand Slam this year after a drama-filled 5-setter on Monday. Medvedev wasn’t his own self, especially after an incident involving Selcuk Acar, a freelance journalist and photojournalist. Medvedev’s opponent, Benjamin Bonz,i missed the first serve, but the match was paused as Acar was entering the court in between attempts, leaving Medvedev fuming. The incident prompted chair umpire Greg Allensworth give Bonzi another first serve, which at that point, was for match point against Medvedev.
The Russian lost his cool at Allensworth, causing about a 7-minute delay. The decision also became a turning point in the game as Medvedev went on to lose the match. The photojournalist, however, said that he is innocent.
“This incident has already turned into a lynching, and although I’m innocent, I’ve suffered greatly,” Acar told the Daily Mail. “If there’s a camera there, if it’s monitored, it will show that I returned to the official twice and didn’t enter.”
The photojournalist even claimed that a security official told him, “The match is stopped,” before he decided to enter the court. “I’m not a photojournalist that can [make] such a mistake,” he asserted.
“The photographer had been instructed to stay in place by US Open security,” the organisers said in a statement, per The New York Post, countering Acar’s statement.
Yet, the United States Tennis Association has revoked Acar’s credential for the tournament.
“The photographer disregarded these instructions and improperly entered the court between serves on match point. The Chair Umpire also instructed the photographer to immediately sit down, and these instructions were also disregarded. The photographer’s credential was revoked for the 2025 US Open,” the statement further said.
“He wants to go home guys,” Medvedev could be heard saying on the court when the incident took place. “He doesn’t like to be here. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour.”
“I was not upset with the photographer. I was upset with the decision,” Medvedev said. “The delay from the photographer was probably four seconds and a half. I’m not sure it’s enough for a (first) serve.”
