The photojournalist who made Daniil Medvedev explode at the US Open is named Selcuk Acar, and he claims that he is "innocent" over what happened at the start of the final Grand Slam of the year.
This year's US Open edition started on Sunday and Medvedev was one of the big names who had his first-round match scheduled for the opening day. With Bonzi leading by two sets and having a match point on his second serve at 5-4 in the third set, a photographer stepped onto the court. Chair umpire Greg Allensworth proceeded to call for the point to be completely, which led to Bonzi being given another first serve.
Needless to say, Medvedev absolutely lost it and delivered one of the most stunning meltdowns of the season. For minutes, the Russian tried to turn the crowd against the photographer and the umpire, which led to a six-minute delay.
The Daily Mail caught up with the photojournalist in question, who was willing to tell his side of the story.
Acar: I'm innocent but the incident has turned into a lynching
"This incident has already turned into a lynching, and although Im innocent, Ive suffered greatly. If theres a camera there, if its monitored, it will show that I returned to the official twice and didnt enter," Acar told The Daily Mail.
Acar also claimed that the security staff told him that the play stopped and that he was allowed to walk onto the court. Also, the photographer said that such a mistake could not have happened to him since he also covered some other big sporting events in the past, such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
However, the US Open organizers denied Acar's claims and revoked his credentials.
"The photographer had been instructed to stay in place by US Open security. 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 The photographer's credential was revoked for the 2025 US Open," the USTA said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Medvedev said in his presser that he had a bigger issue with umpire Allensworth for his ruling, than with what Acardid.
