Rafael Nadal has assured Daniil Medvedev the tide of public sentiment will eventually turn after the Russian found himself cast in the role of pantomime villain at the Australian Open.
Overrun by the indefatigable Nadal in an epic final, Medvedev endured a ongoing battle with crowds at Melbourne Park after a tense match against Nick Kyrgios in the second round.
The 25-year-old repeatedly questioned local fans' intelligence over their "disrespectful" behaviour and berated chair umpires for not keeping crowds in check.
The saga ultimately led a disheartened Medvedev to claim his dream of knocking off the world's best players had died on Rod Laver Arena, where Nadal enjoyed the bulk of support during the final.
Medvedev even claimed he would skip future grand slam events to play in front of more favourable crowds in Russia, and rubbished the theory that tennis is ready to welcome a new wave of men's champions.
"The kid that was dreaming is not anymore in me after today," Medvedev said.
"It will be tougher to continue tennis when it's like this.
"From now on I'm playing for myself, for my family, to provide (for) my family, for people that trust in me (and) of course for all the Russians because I feel a lot of support there.
"If there is a tournament on hard courts in Moscow before Roland Garros or Wimbledon, I'm going to go there, even if I miss Wimbledon or Roland Garros or whatever."
Medvedev also claimed the fact he is Russian counts against him.
"I think nationality plays a key ... I can definitely see when you play somebody from another country, they would go for them and not for Russian," he said.
Nadal, who claimed a record-setting 21st grand slam title with his second Australian Open victory, has long been a favourite of the Melbourne Park crowd.
The 35-year-old watched on during the final as a frustrated Medvedev pleaded with fans to be quiet at crucial moments, shouted at chair umpire John Blom to "step up" to silence the "idiots", and sarcastically applauded the crowd several times after his serve was broken.
But Nadal believes Australian fans will eventually come to appreciate reigning US Open champion Medvedev's talents.
"The crowd was supporting me crazy yesterday," Nadal said.
"I know when the emotions are high and you play these kinds of matches, of course there is always things that can't be perfect out there, no?
"The emotions are too high to have 100 per cent self control for I don't know how many people, 15,000 people.
"Of course there are always mistakes but Daniil (handled) it well.
"He's a great champion and he will enjoy the crowd on his favour in the future, I don't have any doubt."
Nadal said Australian sports fans are mostly knowledgable and to have a few outliers is common for tennis crowds around the world.
The veteran defended Medvedev, describing him as a 'very nice guy face to face", and hopes the Russian's post-match sentiments will fade.
"He's a good person and in some way I felt sorry that he felt like this after the match," Nadal said.
"I think that feeling is something that happened in that moment because it's tough like this with all the crowd almost supporting your opponent.
"But I assure that he has plenty of time to enjoy amazing crowds in his favour here in Australia and around the world and he will experience this amazing feeling."
