Mandatory Credit: Photo by James Gourley/Shutterstock 12775245ew An angry Daniil Medvedev accuses the father of Stefanos Tsitsipas of coaching during the semi final Australian Open, Day Twelve, Tennis, Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – 28 Jan 2022 Australian Open, Day Twelve, Tennis, Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – 28 Jan 2022 PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTXHUNxGRExMLTxCYPxROMxBULxUAExKSAxONLY Copyright: xJamesxGourley/Shutterstockx 12775245ew
Over the years, some tennis superstars in the men’s circuit have often become a target of jeers from the crowd. Novak Djokovic is often at the receiving end of this behavior. He was booed by the spectators as recently as last month at the Monte Carlo Masters when he broke his racket. The list now includes the Russian tennis player, Daniil Medvedev, who got booed for his antics at the Madrid Open. Later, the 27-year-old ATP player admitted that those jeers were somewhat justified as he fired up the crowd by hitting his racquet on the ground.
However, the former US Open champion has been baffled upon witnessing the Danish tennis player Holger Rune getting unnecessarily booed by the fans at the same tournament. Speaking about it, the former world No. 1 expressed his displeasure with the growing trend of ‘booing’ in tennis.
Daniil Medvedev comes out to support his peer, Holger Rune at the Madrid Open
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The former US Open champion believes constant chants and jeers have now become a part of the sport as witnessed by a recent incident. During his remarkable victory over Alexander Shevchenko, he was a target of catcalls from the fans after he hit his racquet on the court. Daniil Medvedev then placed his finger to his ear, which sparked a raucous response from the audience.
via Reuters Tennis – ATP 500 – Astana Open – National Tennis Center, Astana, Kazakhstan – October 8, 2022 Russia’s Daniil Medvedev reacts during his semi final match against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic REUTERS/Pavel Mikheyev
Speaking about the incident, the former world No. 1 stated those jeers from the stands were somewhat justified given his antics on the court. However, Medvedev also revealed how another similar incident involving the Danish tennis player, Holger Rune, has left him extremely disappointed. Throughout his thrilling encounter against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, the current world No. 7 player was a target of scrutiny from the crowd.
During the match at the Madrid Open, Rune got involved in a debate after erasing the mark on the court with his foot, which elicited some blunt jeers from the audience. Taking note of the incident, Medvedev recently came out to support his peer. He said, “I actually watched Holger yesterday without the sound. My daughter was sleeping behind the door.. I didn’t see it. I mean, it’s all about did you deserve it or not? I don’t think Holger did anything yesterday. That’s disappointing”
Medvedev brought to light another player who also faced similar criticism
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The former US Open champion believes that facing jeers from the crowd is becoming more and more common in the tennis circuit. Apart from Rune, the Russian tennis star also mentioned the name of another prominent figure on the ATP Tour.
It is none other than the Serbian tennis star, Novak Djokovic, who has often faced similar scrutiny from the spectators during his matches. Medvedev believes even a legendary figure like Djokovic can become a target of the growing trend of ‘booing’ on the court.
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What do you think of some of the top players like Medvedev and Djokovic getting booed by the fans? Let us know in the comments section.