"Guys I can't hear him, please show some respect for Jim Courier" - Daniil Medvedev lashes out at Rod Laver crowd after beating Kyrgios
World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev got the better of local favorite Nick Kyrgios in four sets to reach the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday. The Russian, however, was not impressed with the Rod Laver Arena crowd, whose antics got under his skin during the match.
The partisan home crowd unsurprisingly rooted for Kyrgios throughout the match and often distracted Medvedev during points and in between serves.
While speaking to Jim Courier after his victory, Medvedev was treated to a barrage of chants that he mistook for boos. This prompted the World No. 2 to urge the crowd to show some respect for Courier, if not for the Russian himself.
"Sorry, I can't hear you. Guys I can't hear him, please show some respect for Jim Courier, he won here. Let him speak, please guys. If you have to respect somebody, at least respect Jim Courier," he said.
Medvedev also pointed out how the crowd tried to disrupt him during his service games.
"I came here to win this match and I'm happy I managed to do it... that's the only choice when you get booed between first and second serve, it's not easy so you just had to stay calm and win the match," he said.
I can’t breathe at the “show some respect for Jim Courier” part 😭😭😭 https://t.co/9JrIyS7Hev
Courier, for his part, tried to calm Medvedev down during the frosty post-match interview, saying the crowd were chanting "siuuu" in homage to Cristiano Ronaldo's goal celebrations, and were not, in fact, booing the Russian.
"Most of those who are doing it probably have a low IQ" - Daniil Medvedev on crowd chants between serves
In an interview with Eurosport, the 26-year-old went on to stress that he was disappointed with the crowd's behavior, before describing the perpetrators as people with "low IQ."
"He had a breakpoint on my second serve, and people were cheering as if I already made a double fault. I mean, that's just disappointing... it's not everybody who's doing it, most of those who are doing it probably have a low IQ," Medvedev said.
"It’s not everybody who’s doing it, but those who are doing it probably have a low IQ" 😭 https://t.co/4e5pGHwwmI
Medvedev will next face Botic van de Zandschulp for a place in the second week of the Happy Slam. The two players met not long ago in the quarterfinals of last year's US Open, where Medvedev defeated the Dutchman in four sets.
Also Checkout : Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer Head to Head Stats