"I'm a victim & totally innocent" - US Open photographer caught in Daniil Medvedev controversy breaks silence, blames security lapse for incident

A day and a half after Daniil Medvedev's controversial incident at the 2025 US Open, the photographer caught in the middle of the spotlight in New York has broken silence and shared his side of the story. According to him, he was just a 'victim' and was mislead by security detail at the tournament leading up to the dramatic incident.

On Sunday, Medvedev faced Benjamin Bonzi in the first round at Flushing Meadows. Down two sets to none and facing match point, Medvedev got a moment of relief when his opponent missed his first serve. At that moment, however, cameraman Selcuk Acar moved into the side of the court, which led umpire Greg Allensworth to make a controversial decision.

Citing that Acar's arrival could have impeded Bonzi's serve, Allensworth gave the Frenchman a second chance for the first serve, infuriating Medvedev in the process. The Russian went after the cameraman as well as the umpire moments later, unleashing his fury with a public outcry of accusations.

Afterwards, Medvedev went on to lose the match, not in three sets but a five-set epic. It also came to light that the photographer had been suspended by the US Open for his action.

Now, speaking to the Daily Mail, Acar has broken his silence, stating that the 'lynching' he has faced on social media since then is undeserved and that he was totally innocent.

“I’m a victim and totally innocent. This incident has already turned into a lynching, and although I’m innocent, I’ve suffered greatly. If there’s a camera there, if it’s monitored, it will show that I returned to the official twice and didn’t enter," he said.

Acar, most importantly, blamed security on site for the mistake, stating that they were the ones who told him that the match was stopped and he could enter. He also maintained that if the security cameras were checked, he would be proven right.

"I’m not a photojournalist that can [make] such a mistake,” he added.

Interestingly, Medvedev has also maintained that he was not to blame for his outburst either, stating in his press conference that he did not do anything wrong.

US Open continues to deny accusations from photographer caught in Daniil Medvedev controversy

2025 US Open - Day 1 - Source: Getty

Meanwhile, the US Open has not taken kindly to the accusation from the cameraman. The tournament, through a statement to the Post from the USTA, insisted that Selcuk Acar 'disregarded' instructions from security and entered the match in the middle of the action between Daniil Medvedev and Benjamin Bonzi.

"The photographer had been instructed to stay in place by US Open security,” the USTA said. “The photographer disregarded these instructions and improperly entered the court between serves on match point."

They added further that even chair umpire Greg Allensworth tried telling Acar to sit down and not interrupt play, only to be ignored.

"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,” the statement continued.

For the moment, Acar's credentials remain revoked, and it is highly unlikely that he will be allowed back into the US Open this year.