Daniil Medvedev had a fiery start to his 2023 Australian Open campaign, as he not only secured a dominant victory in his first-round match against Marcos Giron, but also made headlines for a heated exchange with a fan.
As Medvedev was closing in on victory, leading 6-0, 6-1, 5-2, 40-40, a fan in the stands shouted something that caught the Russian's attention. Medvedev, who is known for his fiery temper on court, turned towards the fan and shouted "f**k off" before continuing to play the point.
The umpire immediately issued a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct. Despite the distraction, Medvedev was able to close out the match in straight sets, winning 6-0, 6-1, 6-2.
The incident with the fan has sparked conversation about sportsmanship in professional tennis, and whether or not players should be held accountable for their interactions with fans, while the fans most often don't get punished for hackling players.
In the next round, the Russian will take on home wild-card John Millman and he predicts an interesting meeting in front of the Australian fans.
“In five or six years that I have been on the Tour, I have never played [Millman]. He is a great player, especially here in Australia. He is a great player. He beat Roger [Federer] at the US Open when Roger was at the top, so he is capable of playing some great tennis. I am going to have to play my best as well.”
0 Comments