NEW YORK — Daniil Medvedev thought the chair umpire’s call was for the birds. Medvedev protested a decision Wednesday during his second-round victory at the U.S. Open after the umpire ordered a point to be replayed because two birds sat on top of the net during multiple shots of a rally. Medvedev led 4-1 in the second set with Sebastian Gorzny serving. Two small birds sat atop the net in Louis Armstrong Stadium during the middle of a point and play continued, with both players hitting multiple shots before Medvedev angled a forehand toward the corner that caused one of the birds to fly up. Umpire Timo Janzen quickly signalled for play to stop as Gorzny began to hit a shot that would not have gotten back into play. “This is the most ridiculous decisions I’ve seen in my life,” Medvedev said. “This is very bad.” Medvedev, no stranger to chaotic moments in Armstrong, was asked following his 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 victory where that one ranked. “This would be definitely in the top five,” he said. “But the thing is that when they came in, I thought, OK, the referee is going to stop the point, and he let it play, like, ‘OK, let’s play.’ And the moment I hit the winner, he was, like, ‘Stop! Stop! Stop!’” Medvedev lost his first-round match in Armstrong last year, when his meltdown after the umpire allowed Benjamin Bonzi a second serve because a photographer mistakenly entered the court too soon led to a delay of more than six minutes. His antics on the same court in 2019, followed by a post-match interview in which he encouraged fans to continue raining down boos on him, led to a US$9,000 fine. He quickly let go of Wednesday’s incident. “It’s OK,” the 2021 champion said. “It happens.” ___ The Associated Press
