Thiago Seyboth Wild sends Daniil Medvedev crashing out of French Open

Daniil Medvedev’s clay court renaissance came to a sudden, bitter end during a windy Tuesday afternoon on Court Philippe Chatrier as the second seed was upset 7-6(5), 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the French Open by Thiago Seyboth Wild, a Brazilian qualifier ranked No 172.

After years of discomfort and frustration on clay, Medvedev had arrived at Roland Garros finally competing at an elite level of tennis on the surface, winning his first clay title at the Italian Open in Rome.

In his first match here, however, Medvedev was unable to play with the same level of aggression and assertiveness. He was reduced to scrambling behind the baseline, desperately trying to eke out errors from his opponent. Seyboth Wild, meanwhile, dominated the contest from inside the baseline with his vicious, precise forehand, moving forward to finish off points at the net.

Medvedev did not feel he had played a bad match, but rather his opponent was just too good “I honestly hope he’s gonna play like this later on, because if not, I’m gonna be disappointed,” said the Russian. “ I’m going to be like: ‘Why today? Why not in two days?’”

Seyboth Wild was a talented young junior who won the 2018 US Open boys title, but he has since been in the news due to off-court events. In June 2022, the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro announced that it had issued a ‘complaint’ against Seyboth Wild, meaning it had formally initiated public criminal action on grounds of domestic and psychological violence allegedly committed against his ex-partner, Thayane Lima. Seyboth Wild has denied the accusations.

In 2021, Rio de Janeiro police had begun investigating the claims after Lima submitted a police report against Seyboth Wild, who was subsequently