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Daniil Medvedev once again has drawn the ire of the U.S. Open crowd — just like he did in 2019.
Medvedev advanced to the third round after a hard-fought 6-2, 6-2, 6-7 (8), 6-2 win over Christopher O’Connell on Friday, but not after losing his cool multiple times and getting into an argument with some fans in the crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The 27-year-old, who won the U.S. Open in 2021, started to implode after failing to convert a few match points, one on a double fault.
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O’Connell used the energy of the crowd to win four points in a row to take the third set in the tie-breaker.
Before the fourth set started, a cameraman was looking to get an up-close shot of a frustrated Medvedev, who angrily pushed the camera away.
But Medvedev wasn’t done with his antics.
With the fourth set tied 1-1, he got annoyed with members of the crowd who were talking and rushing back to their seats because it was not a change and he was attempting to serve.
“Can you shut up guys? Are you stupid or what?” an annoyed Medvedev appeared to say in the direction of a woman in the crowd who blew him a kiss while she was getting back into her seat.
During his on-court interview, Medvedev said the back-and-forth with the crowd helped fire him up this time, adding that it hasn’t been the case all the time.
“It depends, sometimes yes. Sometimes no. You can’t often know how it’s going to go. It’s kind of like a lottery,” he said with a smile.
This wasn’t the first time Medvedev has been embroiled in controversy at the U.S. Open.
Medvedev also became a Flushing enemy on Aug. 30, 2019 during his five-set victory over Feliciano Lopez.
In the first set of that match, Medvedev ripped a towel from a ball person’s hands, drawing a code violation, threw his racket in the direction of the chair umpire and was seen on the big screen flashing his middle finger by the side of his head.
Unlike his on-court interview on Friday Medvedev embraced his role as the villain after that 2019 win.
“First of all, what can I say? Thank you guys, because your energy tonight gave me the win,” Medvedev said in the on-court interview, speaking directly to the fans like he was a wrestling heel.
“If you weren’t here, guys, I would probably lose the match. I was so tired. I want all you to know when you sleep tonight I won today because of you.
“The energy you’ve given 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. Thank you.”
Medvedev’s next encounter with the U.S. Open crowd will be on Sunday when he faces unseeded Sebastian Baez in the third round.
-This article was originally published in the New York Post and reproduced with permission
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