Daniil Medvedev, often known for his angry outbursts at the umpire, showed a different side of himself to the supporters despite suffering a straight-set defeat. During a tense China Open 2024 semifinal match, the Russian deceived Carlos Alcaraz and the crowd into believing he suffered an injury.
After missing one of Alcaraz’s returns in the second set, Medvedev pretended to sit down while holding his hand, implying that he got injured.
That left Alcaraz concerned, as he immediately raised his hand to check if the Russian was alright. However, the 2021 US Open champion quickly stood up and began to laugh, confirming that he was merely playing a trick on Alcaraz, which in turn caused the Spaniard to laugh as well.
Daniil Medvedev pretending he got hit while playing Alcaraz
Carlos immediately put his hand up to check on him.
Meddy pretends to be hurt and then jokingly lets him know he’s okay.
Give the man his Oscar already
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 1, 2024
Normally, fans see him in his aggressive avatar on the court, engaging in heated arguments with umpires. Hence, a lot of them were surprised by this new version of Medvedev.
Wow, they’ve really bonded in LC, huh. I’ve never seen Meddy so friendly towards any opponent during a match.
— AnnaM (@AmAnnaBanana) October 1, 2024
He could have been an actor
— Truly Foodie (@BithoraiBt26226) October 1, 2024
You have to love Medvedev
— Laffy Taffy (@winggirle) October 1, 2024
It was hilarious
— Kshitiz Bhardwaj Singh (@imkbs996) October 1, 2024
However, his friendly demeanor did not end there, and he kept it going until the end of the match. When Alcaraz and Medvedev came to the net to shake hands, the Russian was seen laughing while saying something to the four-time Grand Slam champion, also making the latter laugh.
During the post-match press conference, Medvedev revealed that he jokingly informed Alcaraz how he thinks he should dye his hair blonde and put a name tag of Botic (French tennis player Botic Van de Zandschulp) on the chest.
“I told him that next time we play, I’m going to dye my hair blonde and wear a sign here on my chest that says ‘Botic’. Maybe that would help me. It’s all just a joke, of course,” said the Russian.
The reason behind Medvedev’s comments was the fact that the Frenchman was able to defeat Alcaraz at this year’s US Open. As a result, the Russian suggested that appearing like Botic might help him beat the world number three next time.
So far in their head-to-head battles, the Spaniard has enjoyed the majority of success. The two have faced off eight times, with Alcaraz winning six and Medvedev coming on top twice.
After beating the Russian in straight sets on Tuesday, the 21-year-old has reached the China Open final, where he will be facing world number one Jannik Sinner. The match will take place on Wednesday at 5:00 am ET.
