DANIIL Medvedev vs the US Open crowd feels like a tale as old as time.
The Russian star stole the show at Flushing Meadows four years ago with his iconic battles with spectators.
Daniil Medvedev let rip at a fan in the crowd
The fan blew the 27-year-old a kiss
GettyMedvedev was in a combustible mood at the US Open[/caption]
Following a gruelling victory over Feliciano Lopez in 2019, Medvedev delivered an incredible speech to the jeering US Open crowd – telling the booing masses: “I want all of you to know, when you go to sleep at night, I won because of you.”
He went on to win New York over that year on his way to the final before falling to Rafael Nadal.
Medvedev then won the US Open title in 2021, thrashing Novak Djokovic in the final to win his first major.
Last night the 27-year-old provided a throwback moment to his previous antics.
The former world No1 had been cruising in his second round clash with Aussie Christopher O’Connell, winning the first two sets 6-2, 6-2.
After squandering match points to lose the third in a tiebreak, however, and with the clock ticking past midnight, Medvedev began to get cranky.
Upset at a fan for distracting him as he was about to serve at 1-1 in the fourth, Medvedev snapped.
He shouted “shut up” before blasting: “Are you stupid or what?”
Unfazed, the fan, wearing a green US Open cap and clutching a beverage blew Medvedev a kiss – which did not calm him down.
Experienced British umpire James Keothavong then stepped in to try to de-escalate the situation.
Medvedev soon shrugged off his fury, winning the fourth set 6-2 to book his place in round three.
As the shenanigans were going on, one fan tweeted: “You gotta love it.”
While a second wrote: “meddy vs armstrong crowd always delivers.”
A third commented: “She blew a kiss lmao.”
And another added: “Love him.”
After the match, Medvedev joked: “Tough match. I don’t know why, but at one moment in the match he decided to play better.
“I played the same from the first point to the last. It became much tougher for me, so I’m happy that I was able to still hang in there. I had opportunities in the third set, and I managed to use them in the fourth.”
Medvedev will face Sebastian Baez in round three, with the Argentine having beaten Borna Coric and Felipe Meligeni Alves to reach the last 32.
GettyMedvedev celebrates his four-set win[/caption]