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The photographer responsible for triggering Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev’s intense outburst at the US Open on Sunday night claims to the Daily Mail that he is the true victim of the incident. He is now in contact with lawyers after his credentials were revoked.
‘I’m innocent and being wrongfully targeted,’ Selcuk Acar, a seasoned freelance journalist and photojournalist, texted the Daily Mail on Monday morning. ‘This situation has escalated to a witch hunt, and despite my innocence, I’ve been significantly impacted.’
The dispute began at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Flushing when Acar entered the court as Benjamin Bonzi was serving for match point in the third set, prompting the chair umpire to grant the French player an additional first serve.
Medvedev, 29, a former US Open winner and the No. 13 seed, erupted in anger, spending the next seven minutes leading a chorus of boos and slamming his racket on the court. He would go on to win that set and force a fifth before ultimately suffering an upset defeat.
But while the United States Tennis Association (USTA) has already stripped Acar of his credentials, he tells the Daily Mail he was instructed to prematurely step onto the court after initially hesitating to do so.
‘If there’s a camera there, if it’s monitored, it will show that I returned to the official twice and didn’t enter,’ he said over text message.
Selcuk Acar, an experienced freelance journalist and photojournalist, had his credentials revoked after, he says, he was told to enter Louis Armstrong Stadium on Sunday night
Selcuk Acar took this photo of Daniil Medvedev during the first-round match on Sunday
Acar claimed the security official told him ‘the match is stopped’ and urged him to walk onto the court, where he noticed Bonzi preparing for his second serve.
‘I didn’t know and see if Medvedev saw me,’ a confused Acar told by text on Monday.
A long-time journalist and photographer, Acar told how he has covered everything from Presidential visits to Europe and Nato summits as well as the FIFA World Cup. And he insists he wouldn’t have been so careless at such a crucial moment in the match.
‘I’m not a photojournalist that can such a mistake,’ he said.
Saying he’s ‘aged 10 years’ since last night, Acar is now speaking with employers and attorneys about the situation and his options.
USTA spokespeople have since contradicted Acar’s claims in a statement to Daily Mail.
‘The photographer had been instructed to stay in place by US Open security,’ the statement began. ‘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 shocking moment the bumbling photographer walks onto the court at match point
Acar is a US citizen who has extensive experience as a photojournalist
The Russian riled up the crowd and encouraged them to boo by shouting into the microphones
Daniil Medvedev boiled over as the Russian suffered a first-round defeat at the US Open
Medvedev’s wife appeared in despair as the former US Open champion embarked on his biggest meltdown to date.
Footage from the stands showed his wife Daria Medvedeva, who has two children with the tennis star, with her head in her hands as she sat alongside his stony-faced coach Gilles Cervara.
The pair have witnessed numerous explosions from Medvedev over the years, but Daria, 29, seemed exasperated by the latest installment on the Louis Armstrong court.
Medvedev, the 2021 champion, is in arguably the biggest slump of his career having entered the tournament off the back of two first-round exits and a second-round defeat at this year’s Grand Slam events.
Staring down match point in the first set against Bonzi – who had also dispatched him at Wimbledon – a subdued Medvedev suddenly exploded at umpire Greg Allensworth.
‘Are you a man? Are you a man?’ the current world No 13 asked Allensworth. ‘Why are you shaking? What’s wrong, huh? Guys, he wants to leave. He gets paid by the match not by the hour.’
‘What did Reilly Opelka say?,’ Medvedev then repeatedly shouted to the crowd as he continued to rile them up. Opelka – a fellow tennis player – had earlier this year been fined by the ATP Tour for branding Allensworth the ‘worst ump on tour’.
Medvedev continued to whip up the crowd, who booed and chanted ‘second serve’, with the incident causing a seven-minute delay to proceedings. Medvedev, for his part, says he ‘didn’t do anything wrong’.
Medvedev’s wife appeared in despair during the latest meltdown of her husband’s career
Daria Medvedeva, 29, has two children with the Russian tennis star and has been a regular presence in his player box during his colorful career to date
After Medvedev eventually motioned for the crowd to calm down for Bonzi to serve, the Frenchman ultimately failed to take the match point, with Medvedev breaking to keep his hopes alive.
Medvedev, who has faced criticism for his antics in trying to disrupt his opponents in the past, seized the initiative from a seemingly rattled Bonzi to win the third set on a tie-break and then race through the fourth set 6-0 to force a decider.
The Russian would ultimately fall short in his attempts to stage a remarkable and controversial comeback, as Bonzi clinched a dramatic five-set victory by winning the fifth set 6-4.
The result saw Medvedev sit disconsolately on his chair before destroying a racket by smashing it multiple times, as Bonzi prepared for his on-court interview.
