AmericaDaniil Medvedev meant to say that the American fans were stupid in beating Christopher O’Connell on September 1, 6-2, 6-2, 6-7, 6-2.
When Medvedev was about to serve, a couple of fans returned to their seats. The Russian tennis player expressed dissatisfaction, asking the fans to be quiet. The woman turned and provocatively kissed Medvedev, which angered him. “Are you a fool or what?” Medvedev asked a fan.
A fan (left) kissed Medvedev defiantly in the stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium on September 1. Image: Sky
This is not the first time Medvedev has been upset by US Open fans. Four years ago, in a match with Feliciano Lopez in the third round, Medvedev made bad moves and was booed by the public. In response, he extended his middle finger towards the crowd. After the match, Medvedev said that it was thanks to the protest of the audience that he had the strength to win a five-set match.
In the September 1 matchup, it took the third seed four sets to beat O’Connell to reach the third round against Sebastian Baez. After the game, Medvedev was still angry. When asked if his restraint, as he did four years ago, helped him, he replied: “It depends on the situation. You never know in advance. It’s like a lottery.”
Medvedev angrily complained to the referee about the fans in the match with O’Connell. Image: AP
Medvedev is in good shape at the 2023 US Open. In the first round, he defeated Attila Balas by the biggest margin in history, 6-1, 6-1, 6-0. The Russian tennis player has stated that he doesn’t care how excellent Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are, but only focuses on his own path to go deep and counter them.
In the same semi-final with Medvedev, Alcaraz easily won the first two matches against Dominic Koepfer and Lloyd Harris. The number one seed will face Daniel Evans in the third round, which will take place today, September 2 at 23:00 Hanoi time. Evans is also in great shape, having won the ATP 500 Citi Open last month.
Wee An