'Bercy Crowd Doesn't Stop To Boo': Medvedev Admits He Played To Avoid Disqualification

| by Nurein Ahmed

Daniil Medvedev did not have a great day at the office as he crashed out at the Paris Masters and gave the crowd an unpleasant parting gift when he exited the stadium.

The Russian World No. 3 was on the wrong end of a three-set defeat to Grigor Dimitrov. But that was just half the story of a match in which Medvedev drew the ire of the French faithful in the stands.

Medvedev was booed and jeered by the crowd after smashing his racket to the ground out of frustration for failing to convert two set points on Dimitrov's serve at 5-4. He reacted by trying to shush the crowd, but that was only going to add fuel to the fire and the boos intensified.

The wild French crowd would not quieten as Medvedev readied himself to serve in the next game. Medvedev told the umpire that he was not going to play in those conditions, eventually earning a code violation for delaying the game.

WATCH: Medvedev Shows Fans Middle Finger After Paris Masters Loss
WATCH: Medvedev Shows Fans Middle Finger After Paris Masters Loss

Chair umpire Renaud Lichenstein managed to diffuse the situation and play would carry on. Despite missing four more set points, Medvedev would prevail in the second-set tiebreak. The 27-year-old fought bravely in the decider, saving six match points, but could not thwart Dimitrov's revenge.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Medvedev was wary of a potential disqualification if he ended up making a melee out of the situation, and managed to control himself and play on. Although he was videotaped giving the crowd a middle finger at the end of the match, which he sarcastically brushed off.

"So what happened is I throw the racquet, I get booed. Normal. I don't see a problem with that. I go to serve, they applause or something. But I want to serve. They shouldn't applause. So I still serve. The referee was talking during this so Grigor was not ready."

"Okay, that happens, but I get booed. I didn't see why, so I didn't want to play. That's actually the end of the story. Then I was, like, okay. Till they boo, I'm not going to play. But Bercy crowd doesn't stop to boo. So I was, like, okay. Then when I got a code, I was, like, do I really want to get disqualified and finish the match on this note? No. So I went to play."

Medvedev Explains Controversial Decision To Show Parisian Crowd Middle Finger
Medvedev Explains Controversial Decision To Show Parisian Crowd Middle Finger

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