2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev has been in incredible form this season. The Russian star has reached five finals and won four titles, including at the ATP Masters 1000 in Miami. Medvedev also tops the ATP Tour leaderboard in matches won this season with a personal-best 64 victories compared to just 16 losses.
However, last month, the 27-year-old star suffered two heavy losses against Jannik Sinner in the final at Vienna and Beijing. Coming into the Paris Masters, Medvedev was hoping for a change of fortune, but the Russian was booed by the Paris crowd against Grigor Dimitrov for being beaten.
Connors supports Daniil Medvedev’s crowd interaction
Daniil Medvedev fell to a surprising defeat to Grigor Dimitrov whom he had defeated a week before there encounter in the Round of 32 of the Rolex Paris Masters. From the onset of the game, the Russian was booed by the Paris crowd, and he vented his frustration by throwing his racket and received a code of violation for delaying the match when he sat down in protest.
Medvedev has been without a title since his triumph in Miami, and he was seeking redemption at the Paris event, but the crowd that supported him to victory in 2020 turned down on him for what he declared he never knew about. After the loss to Dimitrov, Medvedev was seeing raising the middle finger to the crowd, but he later said he was checking if he was injured.
American legend Jimmy Connors has backed the Russian for his action with the crowd when he talked about the situation on the most recent episode of the Advantage Connors podcast. ”Oh, well you know what, with all due respect, son, he’s not the first one that would do that. You know sometimes you gotta, you know it just pops up, things like that happen but you know you’re right. He has that kind of personality and he doesn’t mind mixing it up with the crowd and getting the crowd into it.”
“And you know listen, you’re not gonna go out there and have everybody for you but then again you’re not gonna go out there and have everybody against you either. So, you know you can always figure out something to play for. Either for those that are for you or to kind of piss off those rooting against you when you’re trying to come out on top. That doesn’t happen all the time but you know it’s kind of a good inspiration along the way.”
Medvedev loses his cool against Grigor Dimitrov
Daniil Medvedev failed to show his tenacious display when he lost 6-3, 6-7(4), and 7-6(2) to Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the Round of 32 of the Paris Masters. The Russian star was booed by the Paris crowd from the start, and boos became louder when he threw his racket after losing the second set to Dimitrov. Dimitrov later loss to Novak Djokovic in the final.
Medvedev said after the game that he didn’t know why the crowd reacted badly to him: “No, I didn’t (give my middle finger to the crowd), I just checked my nails. It’s nothing more than that. Why would I do that to this beautiful crowd in Paris? The crowd didn’t stop booing. I have a lot of French friends and they don’t seem to like very much this tournament. Maybe there is a reason. I played much better here without the crowd.”
Daniil Medvedev would turn his hopes to the ATP Finals in Turin, where he won the title in 2020, and be confident that he can add a sixth title to his trophy cabinet this season.
