Sports
US Open photographer claims he’s ‘totally innocent’ after being at center of player’s meltdown
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The photographer at the center of a tennis star’s meltdown at the 2025 U.S. Open says he is a “victim and totally innocent” as his credential for the tournament has been revoked.
Selcuk Acar, a freelance journalist and photojournalist, spoke with the Daily Mail after causing Daniil Medvedev to lose it on the court at Louis Armstrong Stadium while facing Benjamin Bonzi in the first round on Sunday night.
An incident occurred during the third set when Acar stepped onto the court with Bonzi serving. Bonzi missed the first serve, but the match was paused as Acar was entering the court in between attempts.
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Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, gestures after a photographer ran onto the court during a match against Benjamin Bonzi, of France, in the first-round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Chair umpire Greg Allensworth gave Bonzi another first serve, which at that point, was for match point against the 13th-seeded Medvedev.
Medvedev lost it on Allensworth, and a nearly seven-minute delay ensued with both men going back and forth on the court.
TENNIS STAR DANIIL MEDVEDEV MELTS DOWN AT US OPEN IN MIDST OF UPSET LOSS
“This incident has already turned into a lynching, and although I’m innocent, I’ve suffered greatly,” Acar told the outlet. “If there’s a camera there, if it’s monitored, it will show that I returned to the official twice and didn’t enter.”
Acar added that a security official told him, “The match is stopped,” before he entered onto the court. He also said he has covered numerous high-profile events over his career, including Presidential visits to Europe and NATO summits. Acar also claimed to have done work at the FIFA World Cup.
“I’m not a photojournalist that can [make] such a mistake,” he said.
Nonetheless, the United States Tennis Association revoked Acar’s credential for the tournament.
“The photographer had been instructed to stay in place by US Open security,” they said in a statement, per The New York Post.
Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, bottom right, reacts next to chair umpire, Greg Allensworth, left, after a photographer ran onto the court during a match against Benjamin Bonzi, of France, in the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
“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.”
Meanwhile, Medvedev was going ballistic on Allensworth, and tried to get the crowd involved as well. With his arms raised in the air, he was encouraging them to boo.
“He wants to go home guys,” Medvedev was heard saying. “He doesn’t like to be here. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour.”
After the match, Medvedev said that it wasn’t Acar’s situation that bothered him, but rather the decision to re-do Bonzi’s first serve.
“I was not upset with the photographer. I was upset with the decision,” Medvedev said. “The delay from the photographer was probably four seconds and a half. I’m not sure it’s enough for a (first) serve.”
Bonzi, on the other hand, thought his opponent crossed the line.
“I mean, the rule is the rule. The guy went on the court between two serves,” Bonzi said. “I mean, it’s not my call to say first serve. And I think, yes, Daniil started it, and he put oil on the fire.”
Daniil Medvedev reacts after losing the first two sets against Benjamin Bonzi of France during their Men’s Singles First Round match on Day One of the 2025 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 24, 2025 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Elsa/Getty Images)
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While Medvedev was able to salvage the third set, and the fourth, Bonzi was able to put him away in the fifth set to secure the massive upset of the Russian veteran.
The Frenchman won the match 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4 over Medvedev to move on to the second round, where he’ll face American Marcos Giron.
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Twenty men have been charged in a point-shaving scheme involving more than 39 college basketball players on more than 17 NCAA Division I teams, leading to more than 29 games being fixed, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Fifteen of the defendants played college basketball during the 2023-24 and/or 2024-25 seasons, according to the indictment. Some have played this season. Two of the players named in the indictment, Cedquavious Hunter and Dyquavian Short, were sanctioned in November by the NCAA for fixing New Orleans games.
At least two of the defendants, Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley, were also charged in a federal indictment in the Eastern District of New York centered on gambling schemes in the NBA.
Former NBA player Antonio Blakeney was named but not charged in the indictment. The indictment describes Blakeney as being “charged elsewhere.”
The scheme, according to the indictment, began around September 2022 and initially was focused on fixing games in the Chinese Basketball Association. The group later targeted college basketball games, offering bribes to college players ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 to compromise games for betting purposes, according to the indictment.
“In placing these wagers on games they had fixed, the defendants defrauded sportsbooks, as well as individual sports bettors, who were all unaware that the defendants had corruptly manipulated the outcome of these games that should have been decided fairly, based on genuine competition and the best efforts of the players,” the indictment said.
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USAA on Thursday announced the three finalists for the NFL’s Salute to Service Award, and a dynasty in San Francisco could be on the rise.
After 49ers star George Kittle took home the award last year, Christian McCaffrey is among three finalists for the league’s award, along with Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson and Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones as the finalists — Jones was a finalist last year, as well.
“The finalists for the 15th Annual Salute to Service Award presented by USAA have used their platforms to be exceptional advocates for the military community, reminding us that service doesn’t stop when the uniform comes off,” Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Bob Whittle, Senior Vice President and Head of Military Affairs at USAA, said in a release.
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Christian McCaffrey, Jake Ferguson and Aaron Jones are this year’s Salute to Service Award finalists. (, G Fiume, and John Fisher/Getty Images)
“The NFL and USAA applaud Jake Ferguson, Aaron Jones, and Christian McCaffrey as deserving finalists who have demonstrated exactly what the award stands for — using the power of football to connect with, empower, appreciate and uplift our service members, veterans and their families.”
McCaffrey launched 23 and Troops in 2021 to focus on post-traumatic stress and athlete-level care for veterans. The foundation has raised $700,000 for military support and paid off holiday layaway for 515 military families.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) celebrates his touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, in Santa Clara, California. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Ferguson has partnered with USAA to visit local military bases and supported the National Medal of Honor Museum, including an event in 2024 in which 900 students joined in person and thousands more virtually.
Jones grew up in a military household. His father, Alvin, served 29 years in the Army, while his mother, Vurgess, served for 27. Jones’ older brother, Xavier, serves in the Air Force. Jones and his twin brother, Alvin Jr., founded the A&A All the Way Foundation in 2020 to support the youth of military families.
The winner will be announced at NFL Honors in San Francisco on Feb. 5, the same night the MVP, Offensive and Defensive Players and Rookies, and Coach of the Year will be crowned.
George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after a touchdown with Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter in the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 10, 2023, in Santa Clara, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
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Whittle and Kittle will be among those on the judging panel for the award.
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Monday night’s game featuring hometown Miami and championship-starved Indiana is one of the toughest tickets in sports.
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