Daniil Medvedev can dish it, but he can’t take it.
Tennis’ biggest villain threatened to focus on hard-court tournaments back home in Moscow rather than the French Open or Wimbledon following his loss to Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final on Sunday.
During the match, fans overwhelmingly cheered for Nadal — who won his record-breaking 21st singles title in Melbourne — leading Medvedev to believe that the crowd was against him. He complained to umpire John Blom about the “empty brain…idiots” in the crowd and said that the experience disillusioned him about playing in Grand Slam tournaments.
“When I was 12, practicing, playing some Russian tournaments, of course watching grand slams on the TV … you dream of being there,” Medvedev said in his post-match press conference. “From now on I’m playing for myself, for my family, to provide [for] my family, for people that trust in me, of course for all the Russians because I feel a lot of support there.
“I’m going to say it like this: If there is a tournament on hard courts in Moscow, before Roland Garros or Wimbledon, I’m going to go there even if I miss the Wimbledon or Roland Garros or whatever. The kid stopped dreaming. It will be tougher to continue tennis when it’s like this.”
Medvedev claimed that it was rare to hear even one person cheering for him at Rod Laver Arena. Instead, he said that he heard fans hissing at him.
“That sound. It’s disappointing. It’s disrespectful. I’m not sure after 30 years I’m going to want to play tennis,” he said.
The 25-year-old said he believes that nationality is one of the reasons that the raucous crowds at tennis tournaments do not flock to him and instead support players who are not Russian.
“I think nationality plays a key. I can definitely see when you [are] playing somebody from the other country, they would go for them and not for [the] Russian… or something like this. I feel there is a lot more buzz about tennis in Russia right now. Hopefully, we’ll try to get more people to go for us.”
Medvedev, who is ranked second in the world behind Novak Djokovic, added that this was part of a pattern of behavior wherein spectators cheered against him.”
“I remember there was a lot of talk, ‘young generation should do better.’ I guess these people were lying because, every time I stepped on the court in these big matches, I really didn’t see much people who wanted me to win. It’s cumulative. But tonight was … like the top of the mountain.”
The tennis star blamed everything but himself for the booing. The Russian has a long history of outbursts at tournaments and seemed to be egging on the jeers of the crowd during Sunday’s match. Medvedev lifted his arms in celebration of leading Nadal by two sets in the finals. Fans responded to the prolonged gesture with boos as it appeared that Medvedev was taunting them.
During his semifinal match against rival Stefanos Tsitsipas, he was dealt a $12,000 fine for repeatedly blowing up at umpire Jaume Campistol. At the Australian Open, he also complained how “boring” his match was and mocked the crowd for having a “low IQ.” In the past, Medvedev has been condemned for throwing coins at an umpire when he didn’t like a call, giving officials the middle finger, and even throwing his racket at an umpire.
Despite his rant, Medvedev praised Nadal on his big win and the incredible final three sets he played in Melbourne. Following this, he returned the conversation back to his performance at grand slam tournaments, committing himself to doing better and winning his second crown after winning the 2021 US Open.
“It was a huge match, for sure some small points, small details that I could have done better,” he said. “That’s life. Rafa played unreal. I have not much regrets. I’m going to work even harder to try to be a champion of some of these great tournaments one day.”
