Daniil Medvedev admits his "low IQ" comment toward Australian Open fans was not smart
Daniil Medvedev admitted that his "low IQ" comment directed at the Melbourne crowd during the 2022 Australian Open was not smart on his part. The Russian had some hostile outings in 2022, where he was booed by spectators at the Rod Laver Arena.
Medvedev was particularly frustrated by the raucous support during his four-set victory against home favorite Nick Kyrgios in the second round, following which he made a sly comment towards the crowd, describing them as having a "low IQ".
At his recent press conference in Adelaide, Medvedev said he regrets making the comment and clarified that it was directed towards around 50 people in the stands and not the entire stadium.
“Well, basically, first of all, the thing that I said was like to maybe -- the stadium, Rod Laver is, what, 15,000, 12,000, 13,000? Out of the 13,0000 that were there, because the stadium was packed, this comment was maybe to 50 people max. That's the first thing.”
The 26-year-old said the comment was "not smart" on his part.
"This comment was probably not smart on my part, but I was -- when you go out from the match, the way it was, the match with Nick, yeah, sometimes you say things right after where you're like, why did I say this. First off, that's maybe not true, then it's stupid."
Medvedev faced a tough test from Kyrgios but eventually prevailed 7-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 despite the hostile conditions. Following the match, the Russian claimed that fans who booed him while he was serving against Kyrgios were "low IQ."
“I had a few moments on my serve – many games were actually quite easy for me, a lot of aces – were tough and he managed to make some good returns, then I have a break point on [my] second serve and people are cheering like you already made a double fault. I mean, that’s just disappointing because it’s not everybody that’s doing it, but those who are doing it probably have a low IQ," Daniil Medvedev added.
"Generally, I like the Australian crowd" - Daniil Medvedev
Ahead of his first match of the year, Daniil Medvedev mentioned that he generally likes to play Down Under and despite some extreme cases, finds the crowd 'respectful'.
"Yeah, that's why we love sports. That's why during the match we have some crazy moments, all of us, and generally, I like the Australian crowd. I remember when I played de Minaur in Sydney; for sure the stadium was for him. But I remember after the match sitting with my coach and saying that it was a great atmosphere. They were not disrespectful for sure.
The World No. 7 said he is looking forward to playing in Australia this year.
"But again, everybody loves playing in Australia. It's a great atmosphere. I'm looking forward to playing here, and hopefully, it's going to be a good one," he added.
Daniil Medvedev has reached the Australian Open final two years in a row, losing to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in 2021 and 2022 respectively. He will take on Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in the first round of the 2023 Adelaide International on Monday.