ZCZC
BSP-09
TENNIS-OPEN-USA-MEDVEDEV
Medvedev says ‘I was an idiot’ and working to be better
NEW YORK, Sept 2, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Daniil Medvedev tried to make peace
Sunday with US Open fans who have booed him for two matches after using their
energy to help him reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final.
“I need to be a better person on the court,” said Medvedev, who was fined
after each of his first three matches at Flushing Meadows.
The Russian fifth seed booked a berth in the last eight by defeating
118th-ranked German qualifier Dominik Koepfer 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) at
Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Medvedev was fined $9,000 for an obscene gesture and unsportsmanlike
conduct in a third-round victory Friday. After his middle-finger gesture was
shown on video screens, fans booed him unmercifully.
“Talking about last match, I was an idiot, to be honest,” Medvedev said
Sunday. “I did some things that I’m not proud of and that I’m working on to
be a better person on the court because I do think I’m a good person out of
the court.”
There was a bit more kindness Sunday from the crowd in the form of mostly
hearty cheers for Koepfer, but when Medvedev had won and boos followed,
Medvedev encouraged more and said jeers helped energize him.
“I was painful in my attitude,” Medvedev told the crowd. “I was painful in
my shoulder. I was wondering if I was going to play. And you guys gave me the
energy.
“Guys continue to give me this energy. You are the best.”
Medvedev says he is still working on being his best but learned some
lessons after reading social media comments about himself after Friday’s
match.
“I do like to read comments about me, to learn what people think about me,
where should I be better or what should I keep?” Medvedev said.
“To be honest with you, especially after the last match, I learned a lot
to myself. As I say, I need to be a better person on the court than I was the
last match.”
– ‘Most electric crowd’ –
He said he enjoyed the give and take with the New York crowd Sunday.
“During my match, I was completely focused. After the match, I engaged a
little bit with the crowd,” he said.
“But we all know how New York crowd can be. It’s probably the most
electric crowd in the world. Especially this week, playing this week on big
courts, I could feel it.
“They reacted less than the last match. I was a little bit surprised,
because as I say, it was not against them. It was something with myself.
“Today I was just engaging with the crowd and hopefully it was fun for
them and for me. As I said, it gave me a lot of energy to win.”
Medvedev, a winner at Cincinnati and runner-up at Montreal and Washington
in hardcourt tuneup events, had enough energy for a happy dance after the
victory.
“I was just so happy about my win that I just decided to do something
special,” Medvedev said. “Some people think it was against the crowd. It was
not at all. It was just showing how happy I was to be in the quarters.”
BSS/AFP/AU/08:40 hrs