Daniil Medvedev has entertained tennis fans with incredible tennis through the first week. The Russian continues to amuse those following him with his hilarious post-match interviews.
Following a win in the fourth round, Medvedev continued this tradition and left the crowd at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in splits when talking about Rafael Nadal.
The World No.5 clinched a dominant win over Nuno Borges. He only required 1 hour and 51 minutes to advance to his second straight quarterfinals at the US Open.
Despite a flawless display on the hardwood, the 28-year-old went viral on social media for his comments regarding Nadal during the on-court interview with Nick Kyrgios.
Answering Kyrgios’ questions about his love for playing in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Medvedev began speaking about his “crazy” run during the 2019 edition of the tournament. Reminiscing about the final encounter against Rafa from that competition, the former World No. 1 completely diverted from the question.
Medvedev began speaking about the reception the Spaniard received whenever the two pitted against each other. Even during the COVID era, without any spectators in the stands, the Moscow native believed that Nadal was receiving more support.
“I love to play here. The crazy 2019 run… Especially the final against Rafa. To be honest… Wherever I played him, the crowd was fully for him. I played him once during Covid and there was no one. But I still felt like the crowd was for him,” Daniil said.
Medvedev after beating Borges at the US Open
Kyrgios: “what do you love about playing in New York? You are one of the best players in the world on this court.. there’s no doubt about it.”
Daniil: “I love to play here. The crazy 2019 run.. Especially the final against Rafa. To… pic.twitter.com/61K9YqoFst
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 2, 2024
Kyrgios took to X, reacting to this clip from his interview with Medvedev by lauding the latter for being hilarious.
Meddy so funny to interview https://t.co/3UjLjIy3Df
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) September 2, 2024
Daniil has had a volatile history with the crowd at the US Open. However, he has performed his best at Flushing Meadows since his run-in with the crowd in 2019. Apart from two finishes as the runner-up, Medvedev also won his maiden Grand Slam title during the US Open 2021.
Considering that Jannik Sinner hasn’t exactly been the crowd’s favorite in New York, defeating hometown hero Tommy Paul in the fourth round, Medvedev can expect to have louder cheers during their upcoming quarterfinal contest.
