Daniil Medvedev branded the French Open crowd as “weird” after reaching the second round.
The Russian has a tumultuous relationship with fans that attend matches and has found himself on the receiving end of some jeers in the past.
This has been the case partially at Grand Slams, such as the Australian and US Open events.
But as the 28-year-old played Dominik Koepfer on Court Simonne-Mathieu on a cool Monday evening in Paris, the partisan French crowd did something he was not expecting.
Why did Daniil Medvedev refer to the French Open crowd as ‘weird’?
Medvedev was involved in a battle against the tricky Koepfer, who he had beaten in all three of their previous matches. He made it four successive wins after overcoming a third set setback to win 6-3 6-4 5-7 6-3.
But during the match the fifth seed heard the crowd chanting the name of Gilles Simon, a former French player who retired from tennis in 2022. The 39-year-old sat in the 2021 US Open winner’s box during the match.
While he acknowledged those chanting for him and his opponent, Medvedev was left baffled by the chants for a player who was not involved in the match.
“There were loads of ‘Daniil’ and ‘Dominik’, but it was ‘Gillou’ that got the most support. It was a bit weird but it’s understandable. I think he had a good moment tonight,” Medvedev told reporters.
“I hope he’s even happier since I won this match. Hopefully he’ll get French fans behind me. When you say ‘Gilles,’ think ‘Daniil’ a little bit!”
Daniil Medvedev battles past Dominik Koepfer to reach round two at Roland Garros
Medvedev led the match by two sets and a break, but Koepfer used his heavy topspin to win more of the longer rallies. He managed to work his way back into the set and ultimately win it to reduce the deficit.
But Medvedev composed himself and took control of the fourth set as he drew on the energy from the crowd, whether they were supporting him or not.
He won 47 per cent of his return points and broke serve seven times on the way to a four-set win in just over three hours.
“I was feeling great on the court. But at some point during the third set, I don’t know why, he decided to play at his best level, to hit the lines, to run everywhere, to fight,” Medvedev added. “If he had done it from the first rally, it would have been much more difficult for me.
“At least, he let me play two quiet sets. In the fourth, I said to myself: ‘If he wants to win the match, then he won’t be able to walk tomorrow.’ I’m happy to have done it.”
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