03 September 2023 , 18:54
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Daniil Medvedev jokingly suggested he was worried for the wife of a fan during his victory over Sebastian Baez at the US Open on Saturday night.
The Russian beat Baez convincingly, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6), to advance to the Round of 16, but couldn't help but be distracted by a noisy spectator throughout the encounter. Speaking after his win at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Medvedev addressed the noisy fan - and playfully suggested he feared for the man's wife.
"I think there is one guy," Medvedev said to Pam Shriver in his on-court interview.
"I don't know if he has a girlfriend or wife, but I don't know how the girlfriend or wife is going to sleep because I think he's so pumped up that he's going to tonight say, 'VAMO! VAMO! VAMO! VAMO! Like non-stop. I feel sorry for him."
Medvedev talked and interacted with the New York crowd during a challenging third set but overcame his opponent nonetheless. The victory ended Baez's 12-match winning streak. Baez struggled, making 55 unforced errors and only converting two of his 12 chances to break Medvedev's serve.
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Next, Medvedev will face the No. 13 seed Alex de Minaur for a spot in the quarter-finals. This time, he will aim to keep his composure, as he has previously let the New York crowd affect him, as he sarcastically pointed out.
"Thanks so much to all the guys who don't shout between first and second serve. You guys are great," said Medvedev to the crowd, who has a habit of interacting with the crowd, be it positive or negative.
He was also upset with two fans walking while trying to serve during his second-round match against Australian Christopher O'Connell. While sitting on his bench before continuing the match, Medvedev seemed to push away a camera that got too close.
Medvedev gestures to the crowd during the US OpenLater, during the set, he got frustrated with crowd members returning to their seats after getting beers. He believed the spectators were trying to disrupt his focus while serving.
After pacing back and forth, Medvedev said, "Can you shut up? Are you stupid or something?" The broadcast cameras then showed fans with their drinks playfully blowing kisses at a frustrated Medvedev before returning to their seats. The Russian player beat O'Connell 6-2 6-2 6-7 6-2.
Medvedev's mixed relationship with the New York crowd started during the 2019 US Open. The Russian faced fines totalling $9,000 (£7,000) during his third-round victory against Spaniard Feliciano Lopez.
He received a $5,000 (£4,000) fine for unsportsmanlike conduct when he angrily grabbed a towel from a ball person and an additional $4,000 fine for making an offensive gesture with his middle finger towards the crowd, who had been booing him during his match. Medvedev is currently ranked No. 3 in the world.