In a tempestuous match at the Paris Masters, world No. 3 Daniil Medvedev faced not only Grigor Dimitrov but also a vocal crowd that turned against him. Medvedev was ultimately defeated by Dimitrov, but it was the contentious atmosphere in the stadium that stole the spotlight.
The Russian player was visibly frustrated during the match, and the Paris Masters crowd made their disapproval known, even resorting to booing at certain points. In the second set, when Medvedev smashed his racquet on the court, he was met with jeers from the spectators. In response, he shushed the crowd, and as the jeers continued, he appeared on the verge of refusing to continue playing.
Medvedev further fueled the tension by waving his arms and putting his finger to his lips, trying to silence the audience. An exchange in French with the umpire led to a time violation, adding to the drama.
I absolutely guarantee that every professional tennis player has dreamt of doing this to crowds before. 😂 🖕 pic.twitter.com/s4sdY1GuiQ
— Scott Barclay (@BarclayCard18) November 1, 2023
After the match resumed, Medvedev managed to level the score by taking the second set. However, his frustration continued into the third set, leading to another racquet smash. Upon his defeat, he appeared to show his middle finger to the crowd, although he later downplayed it as a simple gesture of checking his nails.
Medvedev was reluctant to label the crowd as the “worst” on tour but did acknowledge that he performed better when he won the tournament in 2020 with no fans in attendance due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the controversy, Grigor Dimitrov advanced to the last 16, setting the stage for more thrilling action at the Paris Masters.
Daniil Medvedev in 2023
Currently ranked no.3, Daniil played his last match on the 1st of November when he was defeated by world no.17 Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 6-7(4) 7-6(2) in the 2nd round in Paris (draw).
This season Medvedev has achieved a compiled 64-16 match record. The Russian clinched 5 titles in 2023 in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai, Miami and Rome. Daniil was the finalist in Indian Wells, U.S. Open, Beijing and Vienna.
