By Shrivathsa Sridhar
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Daniil Medvedev said he was unsure if he had a point to prove to the crowd at the Australian Open due to a “strange relationship” with them after last year, but the Russian was pleased with the atmosphere as he beat local hope John Millman on Wednesday.
Medvedev has had several run-ins with crowds on the grandest stage, particularly in Australia where he described some fans on Rod Laver Arena as having “low IQ” for cheering between serves in last year’s tense win over home favourite Nick Kyrgios.
In reflection ahead of this year’s tournament, he said the barb was probably not the smartest move on his part at a slam where he has reached the final in the last two years, but the red mist briefly descended again on Monday.
In a bizarre finish to his first-round victory over Marcos Giron at Melbourne Park’s main showcourt, the Russian swore at a fan, drawing loud gasps from the crowd, and received a code violation for the audible obscenity before completing the win.
However, Medvedev said he enjoyed playing on Margaret Court Arena in Wednesday’s 7-5 6-2 6-2 win.
“It was a strange relationship last year. Let’s put it this way,” Medvedev said. “But again, at least in my life … I forget things easily, so really happy to be here this year.
“Played two matches. Played against an Aussie today and it was a great atmosphere. For sure they’re going to support him more, but it was really great playing on Margaret Court Arena, playing on Rod Laver the other day.
“I don’t know if I have something to prove, but hopefully it’s going to be working well like it does now.”
Few would be surprised if Medvedev’s latent anger this year stemmed from a patchy 2022 which began brightly with his run to the Australian Open final but tapered off as a hernia operation ruled him out of three Masters 1000 tournaments.
He also became a sporting pariah following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, competing as an individual athlete without national affiliation and forced to skip Wimbledon due to the grasscourt Grand Slam’s ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes.
Medvedev had played the pantomime villain in the 2019 U.S. Open, with antics that included angrily snatching a towel from a ballperson in one match, showing the crowd his middle finger and sarcastically thanking them for their energy.
But he won back some Arthur Ashe Arena fans four years ago by forcing Rafa Nadal to five sets in the final and capturing the 2021 crown to deny Novak Djokovic a calendar slam.
Medvedev will be hoping his tennis can dominate all the headlines at Melbourne Park this year.
“I can only play and I’ll try to play good,” he said. “It’s true I made the finals the last two times here, so feeling good to play in Australia and looking forward to some more matches this year.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Ken Ferris)
