- Daniil Medvedev has suggested fans at this year's Australian Open jeered him because he's Russian.
- It's more likely he got booed because of his rude, disrespectful outbursts during the tournament.
- The world no.2 called fans "idiots" with "no brains," and questioned the intelligence of an umpire.
At almost every stage of this year's Australian Open, Daniil Medvedev has found himself on the end of jeers from the crowd.
After his defeat in Sunday's final to Rafael Nadal, where he was again taunted by sections of the Rod Laver Arena, the world number two claimed he has been ill-treated by fans throughout the tournament simply because he is Russian.
"I think nationality plays a key," he said. "I can definitely see when you playing somebody from the other country, they would go for them and not for Russian, or something like this.
"I feel there is a lot more buzz about tennis in Russia right now. Hopefully we'll try to get more people to go for us."
Medvedev didn't provide specific evidence for his claim, and the real reason he has been subjected to any abuse or disrespect from the crowds is likely more to do with his own attitude.
From round one, the 25-year-old has moaned and groaned at seemingly any opportunity, in the process insulting people across the spectrum of tennis, including umpires, stadium staff, opponents, and the fans.
After his second round victory, he incorrectly accused members of the crowd of jeering him when they were actually just imitating Cristiano Ronaldo's famous "SIUUUU" celebration. Then, despite being corrected, he doubled down by suggesting those responsible for the harmless, albeit tedious, chants had a "low IQ."
During his fourth round win over American Maxime Cressy, he ranted at a match official over a sweaty shirt, shouted at the chair umpire, and called his opponent "boring" and "lucky."
In the quarterfinal, he called a screen operator an "idiot" with "no brain," while in the last four, he launched an explosive and undeniably rude tirade at umpire Jaume Campistol, screaming at him for 45 seconds because he believed his opponent was being illegally coached by his trainer.
The rant, reminiscent of John McEnroe's famous outbursts, saw Medvedev directly question the umpire's competence, call him stupid, and yell at him in a manner that even the staunchest fan would acknowledge was deeply disrespectful.
While Medvedev apologized after the match, the damage was done.
—Wide World of Sports (@wwos) January 28, 2022
Lastly, in the final, when he was actually jeered by the fans, he called them "idiots" with "no brains" before turning his nose up when he was cheered as he collected his runner-up prize.
It is plain to see that fans' growing dislike of Medvedev throughout the tournament coincided directly with his increasingly contemptuous and aggressive behaviour towards those around him.
It is for similar reasons that crowds in Melbourne have struggled to take to Novak Djokovic over the years.
The Serbian lost his cool with the chair umpire after being given back-to-back time violations during the 2020 final, while throughout the tournament the following year he also caused a stir by complaining about quarantine conditions, despite getting better treatment and facilities than almost all other players.
This year, of course, he was public enemy number one after his drawn out COVID vaccination saga, which saw him anger many Australians by attempting to enter the tournament while unvaccinated. He was eventually deported.
Like Djokovic, Medvedev simply cannot expect to treat his fellow competitors, fans, and the staff who help run the Open — many of whom are volunteers — so rudely and expect to be universally adored.
Tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios faces a similar issue when he's abroad and behaves in such a manner. He might get away with it on home soil, but when he throws tantrums, breaks rackets, and shouts at umpires while playing away, crowds don't tend to take too kindly to him.
As does Frenchman Benoît Paire, who often finds himself being jeered when he tanks games on purpose so he can get his first round prize money and run.
Medvedev can say all he wants that fans treat him differently because he's Russian, but the truth is, tennis fans just don't want to back someone who'll angrily call them "idiots."
He is undeniably an extremely talented player, and one who is likely going to win many Grand Slams over the course of a storied career, but until he controls his outbursts, Medvedev may struggle to build his fanbase.