[Watch] Bizarre Scenes as Daniil Medvedev sticks head in ice fridge, takes off shirt to beat heat at Cincinnati Open

Medvedev’s woes continued as he bowed out in the second round of the ATP 1000 Masters event

Only Daniil Medvedev could turn a changeover into a moment of bizarre. In his Cincinnati Open 2025 opener, the Russian decided the best way to survive the brutal Mason heat was to stick his head inside the on-court fridge.

The rare incident took place during his match against world No. 85 Adam Walton at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Ohio.

Medvedev had edged the first set 7-6, but dropped the second 4-6, and was down 1-4 in the third when the humidity really started to bite.

At the changeover, he opened the fridge and leaned right in, drawing laughs from the crowd and the cameras.

The fridge move wasn’t the only sign he was battling with the weather. Medvedev later took off his shirt and draped a wet towel over his head and neck, trying to keep himself in the match. But it wasn’t doing enough . Ultimately, Walton closed out the set 6-1 to hand Medvedev another early exit in 2025.

The defeat adds to what has been a challenging 2025 season for the former US Open champion. Medvedev’s Grand Slam campaign this year has been marked by early exits—second round at the Australian Open, and first rounds at both the French Open and Wimbledon.

Also Read: Top 13 players who have withdrawn from Cincinnati Open 2025

In the build-up to the US Open, his results in warm-up events have been mixed. Last week at the Canadian Open, he was knocked out in the round of 32 by Alexei Popyrin 7-5, 4-6, 4-6. Earlier in Washington D.C, he reached the quarter-finals before falling to Frenchman Corentin Moutet 6-1, 4-6, 4-6.

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