Daniil Medvedev tells booing crowd to shut up during Alexander Zverev clash at Monte-Carlo
Daniil Medvedev gave a fitting response to the booing crowd on Court Rainier lll with a praiseworthy performance at the Monte-Carlo Masters on Thursday (April 13).
Medvedev's clay swing commenced with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Lorenzo Sonego in the second round of the Masters event. Facing Zverev in the following round, several fans wrote off the Russian who has barely proven his worth on clay.
However, it was Medvedev who prevailed in a dramatic encounter, registering a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7) comeback win over the German. The Russian remained solid in the closing moments, saving two match points in the deciding set.
A section of fans booed Medvedev throughout the match. However, the Russian remained composed and let his racket do the talking. After winning the second set, he gave a frosty glance at the crowd and shushed them.
This is officially the wildest day of tennis in 2023 😂
https://t.co/LN4bdhayHf
With his win on Thursday, Medvedev is now 31-3 for the season and has kept his hopes of winning a maiden title in Monte-Carlo well and truly alive.
During his on-court interview, Medvedev reflected on the "crazy" match. He revealed that his comeback was inspired by watching a lot of tennis.
"That was a crazy match," said Medvedev. "He served two times for the match, he probably should have done better, but that is also clay courts. I tried to watch a lot of tennis before playing this tournament, and one thing that I saw is you can come back at any moment."
Medvedev will face Holger Rune in the quarterfinals on Friday (April 14). It will be their first meeting on tour. Speaking about his next opponent, the Russian admitted that Rune is a quality player.
"He’s an amazing player. We practised a lot on clay. I don’t think I ever won a set, but I was playing good today, so I hope to show this good tennis tomorrow," he stated.
Daniil Medvedev's win over Alexander Zverev his first on clay against a top-20 opponent since 2019
Daniil Medvedev's win over Alexander Zverev marked his first win over a top-20 opponent on clay since the 2019 Barcelona Open. The Russian beat Kei Nishikori, who was then ranked No. 7, in the semifinals of the ATP 500 event.
Medvedev's career record on clay is 20-23 with a win percentage of 46%, his worst across all surfaces. Despite winning 19 ATP tour singles titles in his career, he is yet to open his account on clay.