Who is Thiago Seyboth Wild? Former tennis prodigy stuns Daniil Medvedev at French Open
Thiago Seyboth Wild produced one of the biggest-ever upsets at the French Open as the world no 172 sent the second seed Daniil Medvedev crashing out of Roland Garros.
Seyboth Wild had not won a Tour-level match all year and arrived in Paris without a main-draw win at a grand slam, but produced a stunning performance to defeat Medvedev in five sets.
It was the fifth time Medvedvev, the world No 2, had lost in the first round of the French Open but the Russian came into the tournament as one of the favourites after winning the Rome title last week.
Seyboth Wild, 23, was playing a fifth set for the first time but prevailed 7-6, 6-7, 2-6 6-3 6-4 to advance to the second round.
Who is Thiago Seyboth Wild?
A former tennis prodigy from Brazil, Seyboth Wild won the US Open boys’ title in 2018 and claimed his first ATP Tour title in Santiago in March 2020. In doing so, he became the first player born in the 2000s to win an ATP Tour title, a feat he achieved before the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune.
He was on the cusp of the world’s top-100 at the end of his breakthrough year but a couple of difficult seasons of results on the court, combined with injuries, stunted his development through the ranks. In October 2021, Seyboth Wild denied domestic abuse allegations made by his ex-girlfriend in Brazil. He faced a police investigation but said the allegations were “false, fabricated, and vengeful”.
Coming into 2023, Seyboth had not played a tour level tournament in over a year and was without a main draw victory at a grand slam. But on the Challenger circuit, he concentrated on the clay-court tournaments and found form coming into Roland Garros, winning 21 out of 24 Challenger-level matches and claiming titles in Vina del Mar and Buenos Aires.
Seyboth Wild’s victory over Medvedev was a major shock. In beating the Russian, Seyboth Wild became the first player to knock out a top-two seed in the opening round at Roland-Garros since 2000.
What did he say afterwards?
"I watched Daniil play since I was junior and beating him on such a court is a dream come true.
"I tried to use my forehand against his and it worked pretty well. I started cramping at the start of the second set but I used my mental strength to play my best tennis."
