US Open fan blows kiss to Daniil Medvedev after former champion's angry rants
A fan blew a kiss to Daniil Medvedev as the Russian once again served as the pantomime villain at the US Open.
On Thursday, Medvedev survived an epic late night battle with Australian Christopher O’Connell. The 2021 US Open champion needed four sets to secure the 6-2 6-2 6-7 (6) 6-2 to advance to the third round at Flushing Meadows.
His win was marred by a series of outburst and prickly interactions with the crowd. Medvedev showed signs of frustration when he failed to convert several match points, losing one on a double fault as O’Connell used the crowd’s energy to win four successive points to take the third set on a tiebreak.
Before the fourth set started, a cameraman attempted to get a closer shot of Medvedev’s visible frustration, and he angrily pushed the camera away. Then, with the fourth set tied 1-1, the 27-year-old hit out at members of the crowd who were talking while returning to their seats because he was attempting to serve.
Medvedev grew frustrated by the distraction while the woman in the crowd blew him a kiss as she got back into her seat. The angry Russian shouted: “Can you shut up guys? Are you stupid or what?”
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Even after sealing the win, Medvedev continued to aim his ire at someone in the crowd, gesturing wildly while shouting as he walked off. During his on-court interview after the win, Medvedev said the clash with the crowd served to motivate him on this occasion, although this is not often the case.
“It depends, sometimes yes,” Medvedev said. “Sometimes no. You can’t often know how it’s going to go. It’s kind of like a lottery.”
Daniil Medvedev was furious with the behaviour displayed from the crowd during his winThis was not the first time Medvedev has been embroiled in a controversy at the US Open. Back in 2019 during his five-set victory over Feliciano Lopez, Medvedev endured essentially two hours of constant booing while fans loudly cheered each and every one of his errors before he went on to win.
In the first set of that match, Medvedev ripped a towel from a ball person’s hands, drawing a code violation, before throwing his racket towards the chair umpire, while he was seen on the big screen flashing his middle finger by the side of his head. In his interview afterwards, the Russian embraced his role as the villain.
He said: “I want all of you to know, when you go to sleep at night, I won because of you. The energy you're giving me right now, guys, I think it will be enough for my five next matches. The more you do this, the more I will win, for you guys.”
Medvedev is next in action against unseeded Sebastian Baez in the third round on Saturday.
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