WATCH: Frances Tiafoe & Daniil Medvedev troll each other with hilarious 'salt bae' imitation during Laver Cup 2024 clash
Frances Tiafoe and Daniil Medvedev attempted to troll each other with a hilarious impression of 'Salt Bae' during their singles clash at the 2024 Laver Cup. Their closely contested battle concluded with the American claiming a 3-6, 6-4, [10-5] victory.
Team World and Team Europe ended Day 1 tied at 2-2 after four matches. On Day 2, each match win is worth two points. The first match of Day 2 was a singles encounter between Tiafoe and Medvedev.
In the five previous encounters, the Russian managed to emerge victorious each time. However, the tables turned in Berlin on Saturday, September 21, as Tiafoe earned the win.
Both competitors are known for their cheerful personalities and impressive shot-making abilities. During a rally in the second set, with Tiafoe leading 3-2, Medvedev pulled off an exceptional drop shot and celebrated by imitating the famous 'Salt Bae' pose, where the famous chef flamboyantly sprinkles salt with a flick of the wrist.
The meme, which went viral in 2017, originated via Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe and quickly became an internet sensation.
Later, Tiafoe playfully returned the favor with his own 'Salt Bae' imitation, and Medvedev joined in. Watch the hilarious moments below:
Before their Laver Cup encounter, Tiafoe had won only one out of 13 sets played against Medvedev. The American lost the first set in Berlin as well but came back into the match by winning the second set.
At the Roger Federer-backed event, a traditional deciding set is not the norm, instead, a 10-point tie-breaker is played. Tiafoe was clinical and reached 10 points first in the tie-break, giving Team World a 4-2 lead.
"I felt like I was Roger Federer" - Frances Tiafoe explains how he got the better of Daniil Medvedev at Laver Cup 2024
After defeating Daniil Medvedev for the first time in his career, Frances Tiafoe explained that he started to have ''fun'' on the court, and that helped him get into his rhythm.
"I just started having fun, laughing with my team, laughing with my team over there and here. Just having a bit of fun and I started really finding my rhythm," Frances Tiafoe said in his post-match interview.
He also said that the court was slower than what he is used to playing on, but in the latter stages of the match, he was feeling like 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer.
"Court's obviously much slower than I've been used to playing on so it's tough playing Daniil on this court but yeah, midway in the second set and in the tiebreak I felt like I was Roger Federer, honestly," Tiafoe added.
The action-packed 2024 Laver Cup Day 2 also sees Carlos Alcaraz take on Ben Shelton and Alexander Zverev face Taylor Fritz in singles, before Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas team up to face Alejandro Tabilo and Shelton in doubles.