"People tend to say, how come you're not like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal? Guess what, everybody is different" - Daniil Medvedev on his on-court behavior at the Davis Cup
Daniil Medvedev made light work of Jan-Lennard Struff in his semifinal tie to take Russia into the finals of the Davis Cup before riling up the Madrid crowd with some characteristic on-court antics.
Later, at the press conference, Medvedev was asked about whether he liked provoking the spectators, and if it was some sort of game for him.
Madrid = @DaniilMedwed's stomping ground 👟😮
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Medvedev answered that he had the highest praise for players such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but drawing comparisons would not be fair and that fans should not expect every player to behave in the same way:
"We had Roger and Rafa - I go with my words - they are probably I want to say one of the most fairest sportsmen in all the history of the sport," Medvedev said.
Now when somebody in tennis is not like this, people tend to not like them and say, How come you're not like Roger and Rafa? Guess what, everybody is different," he added.
Medvedev opened up further about the reason for his behavior, explaining that he does not provoke the audience on purpose but his emotions simply get the better of him.
"In life I'm more calm," Medvedev said. "On tennis court, it's different. It's a lot of adrenaline going on. I hate to lose. There is less time and less power in myself to stop and think," he added.
The Russian also went on to remark that people's perceptions will change after the end of the Federer and Nadal era, because then the new fans will not have a standard against which to compare the new crop of players.
"I think the moment when they retire and there are going to be new fans who didn't see Roger and Rafa live, that's what it's going to come back to where people are going to like other characters than this," Medvedev said.
Watch: Daniil Medvedev celebrates in front of hostile Madrid fans
Amid jeers and whistles from the crowd, Daniil Medvedev celebrated his victory over Germany by telling the crowd to calm down, mimicking the famous Cristiano Ronaldo "calma calma" celebration.
When in Madrid...
'Calmaaa' 🤫
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He further antagonized the crowd by pointing to the ground and stamping his foot, trying to give the impression that Madrid is his stomping ground. This made the fans deride him more, but it did not faze the World No. 2. He even offered them some advice on what to do if they wanted to see him lose:
People still don't understand how to make me lose. They should support me so it's okay, guys, continue. I'm just going to win," Medvedev said.
How *not* to make @DaniilMedwed lose, explained by the man himself 😉
CC: @usopen 👀
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Tensions between Medvedev and the Spanish fans had already been running high since the Russian team defeated Spain on the latter's home turf in the group stages to deny them a place in the knockout rounds of the tournament.
The Russian team went on to win the Davis Cup on Sunday against Croatia, with Medvedev winning his singles tie against Marin Cilic 7-6(2), 6-2 in straight sets.