Daniil Medvedev found himself at the center of a bizarre scene during his second-round match at the 2026 US Open in New York. The 2021 tournament champion and No. 7 seed was playing against American wildcard Sebastian Gorzny inside Louis Armstrong Stadium when an unusual delay occurred.
Daniil Medvedev Irate After Bird Interruption at US Open
Midway through the second set, with Medvedev leading 4-1 and Gorzny serving, two small house sparrows suddenly swooped down and landed on top of the net. Rather than halting play immediately, the rally continued as both players exchanged multiple shots. The point went on for approximately 45 seconds before Medvedev angled a forehand toward the corner, causing one of the birds to fly up.
As Gorzny prepared to hit a shot that would not have gotten back into play, chair umpire Timo Janzen abruptly signaled for a stop and ordered a let, ruling that the point must be replayed due to the birds.
Medvedev Clashes With Umpire Timo Janzen
The sudden stoppage left Medvedev stunned and visibly frustrated. He placed his hands on his head before walking directly toward the umpire’s chair to challenge the call. Chair umpire Timo Janzen then turned on his microphone to explain the decision to the confused crowd, announcing, "Due to the birds, we will replay the point."
Medvedev made his displeasure clear during the exchange, telling Janzen, "This is very bad," and adding, This is the most ridiculous decisions I’ve seen in my life.
Speaking to the amused crowd during his post-match on-court interview, Medvedev detailed his frustration with the timing of the intervention. I saw them straight away, and I thought the point would stop straight away, but it didn’t,
Medvedev said. Then we play for 45 seconds, and the moment I hit the winner, we say stop. I’m like, why? We played for 45 seconds, but it’s okay.
History of Chaos at Louis Armstrong Stadium
The strange incident added another chapter to Medvedev’s eventful history at Louis Armstrong Stadium. When asked after his victory where the bird incident ranked among his unusual career moments, Medvedev joked that it was definitely in his top five bizarre incidents.
The stadium has been the site of previous controversies for the Russian player:
- 2019: His on-court antics and subsequent postmatch interview encouraging fans to continue booing him resulted in a $9,000 fine.
- 2025: He suffered an early exit after losing his first-round match, which featured a meltdown directed at the chair umpire and a six-minute delay after a photographer mistakenly entered the playing area while Benjamin Bonzi served for the match.
Advancing to the Third Round
Despite the interruption and his disagreement with the umpire, Medvedev maintained his composure to secure the victory. He hit 14 aces and never trailed by more than one game, ultimately defeating Gorzny in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-3, 7-5.
I was not happy with the decision, but well, it is what it is, and you cannot do anything with it,
Medvedev reflected after the match. But yeah, the situation was pretty crazy, but I love this court. I’m happy to win.
With the second-round win concluded, the 30-year-old advanced to face the 26th seed, Arthur Rinderknech, in the third round of the tournament.
