Former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev faced an unexpected first-round exit at Wimbledon on Monday, falling to France’s Benjamin Bonzi in four sets.
Medvedev had advanced to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the last two years, but his quest for another successful run at the All England Club suddenly stopped against the world number 64. Bonzi triumphed over the ninth-seeded Medvedev 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 after three hours and seven minutes in scorching conditions on Court Two.
This marks the first time in seven Wimbledon appearances that Medvedev has not progressed beyond the first round.
The 29-year-old, who clinched the US Open title in 2021, has had a troublesome year at the Grand Slam tournaments, with early exits in both the Australian Open (second round) and the French Open (first round) before his disappointing performance at Wimbledon.
Last year, he had defeated top seed Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon before succumbing to reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals.
