Daniil Medvedev has threatened to skip Wimbledon after “idiots” ruined his Australian Open experience.
The Russian held a commanding two-set lead over Rafael Nadal in the final at Melbourne Park yesterday, before the Spaniard produced one of the all-time great comebacks to win a record 21st Grand Slam title.
The world number two succumbed to a heartbreaking 6-2, 7-6(5), 4-6, 4-6, 5-7 loss and his wait for a first Australian Open title continues.
During the encounter the 25-year-old battled not just Nadal but a raucous Aussie crowd, most of whom were firmly on the side of the world number five.
Medvedev has often interacted with the crowd during his matches and the finalist was seen waving sarcastic gestures towards the audience.
He has had a difficult relationship with the spectators throughout the tournament, as he was booed for mentioning Novak Djokovic and claimed they have a "low IQ."
The rowdy crowd called out between some first and second serves and following his loss of the third set, a restless Medvedev let out a furious outburst to the match umpire, slamming the Melbourne crowd.
The Russian told the official: “You need to say if anyone shouts out on second serve.
“They are an idiot. They are idiots. Empty brained.”
During his post-match press conference, Medvedev expressed his frustration with the treatment from the crowd and his lack of support.
He admitted he would be willing to skip some of the sport’s biggest tournaments if it prevented him from playing in front of certain crowds.
“When I was 12, I trained, played in some Russian tournaments, of course, watched Grand Slam tournaments on TV … you dream of being there,” he said.
“From now on, I play for myself, for my family, to provide [for] my family, for people who trust me, of course, for all Russians, because I feel a lot of support there.
“I will say this: if there is a hard tournament in Moscow before Roland Garros or Wimbledon, I will go there even if I miss Wimbledon or Roland Garros or something else.
“The kid stopped dreaming. It will be harder to keep playing tennis when things are like this.”
He added: “I will not answer questions about my history. I’ll just give one small example. Before Rafa hits even in the fifth set, someone will appear and I will even be surprised as one guy yelling: 'Come on, Daniel.'
“Thousands of people will be like: Shh, shh, shh. That sound. This is disappointing. It’s disrespectful. I’m not sure if I want to play tennis in 30 years.”
It was an unexpected yet honest and sad perspective from Medvedev, who cited his nationality as a potential reason for the crowd’s perception of him.
“I think nationality plays a key role. I can definitely see when you [are] playing someone from another country, they would go for them, not for [the] Russian… or something like that,” he explained.
With slight optimism, he added: “I feel like there’s a lot more noise about tennis in Russia right now. I hope we will try to attract more people.”
“I remember there was a lot of talk that “the younger generation should work better”, the US Open champion continued.
“I guess these people were lying because every time I went on the court in those big matches, I didn’t really see a lot of people who wanted me to win. It’s cumulative. But tonight was… like the top of a mountain.”
