Medvedev and the Bercy crowd, an impossible love affair: “For me, it doesn’t work”

The Russian had another row with the Parisian crowd when he lost to Grigor Dimitrov in his Rolex Paris Masters opener

November 1, 2023

The image is already all over social media. As he left the court after losing to Grigor Dimitrov in his opening match at the Rolex Paris Masters, Daniil Medvedev subtly tried to give the Parisian public the finger. He mimed looking at his fingers, but the message was clear: the Russian had a grudge against the crowd and was making it known.

Daniil Medvedev was asked if he was giving the middle finger to the crowd:

“Middle finger? No. I was looking at my nail. Why would I do that to this beautiful Parisian crowd?” 😂

pic.twitter.com/9k2ZRzz3fr
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 1, 2023

In the press conference after the match, Medvedev must have anticipated the question. His answer was genius: “I just checked my nails, like this (demonstrating). No, really, it’s nothing more than that. Why would I do that to this beautiful crowd in Paris-Bercy? (smiling). We’re getting to know the character…

The discord began in the second set. Daniil Medvedev had lost two points to level at one set apiece, but saw his opponent draw level himself at 5-all. The Russian then threw down his racket in rage, provoking the booing of the crowd, as happens on every tennis court.

But what Medvedev didn’t like was that the whistles went on and on. Too long for his liking. The world’s third-ranked player refused to play until they were over. “Shut your mouths”, Gilles Cervara’s man even shouted to the Parisian crowd, largely annoyed by the situation. Play finally resumed when Medvedev decided to stop his star-studded whim.

At the press conference, Medvedev described the situation in a very calm manner: “I was, like, OK, ’til they boo, I’m not going to play,” he said. “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.”

IT DOESN’T GO DOWN WELL WITH THE PARISIAN PUBLIC, AND THAT HAPPENS…

As the players know, the public at the Rolex Paris Masters is unique. Sometimes bordering on unfair play. Tommy Paul, against Richard Gasquet on Monday, and Francisco Cerundolo, against Gaël Monfils on Tuesday, can testify to this. One thing’s for sure, though, and that’s that the players are not unanimous about the atmosphere. We’ll let you guess which side Daniil Medvedev is on.

“We have 60 players. 30 of them will love it; 10 players will think that it’s not relevant, so on and so forth,” he said. “So I’m not going to say anything. I don’t want to say bad things about this tournament in general. It’s just that it doesn’t work. Every match is the same. Things like that happen.”

Daniil Medvedev - Rolex Paris Masters 2023 — Daniil Medvedev – Rolex Paris Masters 2023 © Chryslene Caillaud / Panoramic

But that has nothing to do with France, the country where he lives and trains: “It depends on the tournament, how I react, how the public reacts. It’s a question of chemistry, of mayonnaise! Plus, I have a lot of French friends. They don’t like this tournament very much, and I think there’s a reason for that. As for me, I play much better here when the public isn’t here… Maybe that explains it”, said the man who won the tournament against Alexander Zverev in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic and therefore on a court emptied of spectators.

“Even if I play my career here for 10 years, I’m going to come back and try to do better, especially in terms of tennis, and that’s how you get the public on your side,” concluded the Russian player in response to rumours that the Rolex Paris Masters might be relocated. But it’s not certain that his fans will change just yet.