US Open 2022: Defending champion Daniil Medvedev: winning them over in the Big Apple

Daniil Medvedev’s love affair with New York was something of a slow burn.

He did not come close to winning the Junior US Open title—or any of the junior Majors. After all, his route into tennis had come via a series of educational stops before he moved to France with his parents.

He was 20 before he qualified for any main draw—Nice in 2016—and won his first match the next month: on grass, it so happens. But his preference for hard courts soon became clear. With some strong Challenger runs under his belt, he scored back-to-back wins to make the quarters in Moscow, and come 2017, made his first final in Chennai.

But the rest of that year was littered by quarter-final runs, until he sealed the NextGen title in November. Not until 2018, then, did he win his first Masters match or first match at the US Open, where he reached Round 3. It was the start of something big.

For come 2019, now aged 23, he began to score the kind of wins that his unorthodox, big-hitting—some would say ungainly—tennis had long promised. First it was the finals in Washington and the Montreal Masters, then the title at the Cincinnati Masters, and best of all, his first Major final—in New York.

And it was a humdinger of a final against Rafael Nadal, five sets, almost five hours, and it served to earn the respect of a crowd that had taken strongly against the impulsive, frustrated young player who drew their ire in the third round against Feliciano Lopez.

Medvedev won the match, but had been booed for snatching a towel from a boy kid and arguing with the umpire. Then, he revealed his feisty, no-nonsense personality, and his sarcasm, of course, drew still more boos:

“Thank you all, guys, because your energy tonight gave me the win. Because I was so tired, I was cramping yesterday. It was so tough on me. So I want all of you to know when you sleep tonight, I won because of you… The energy you’re giving me right now, I think it will be enough for my five next matches. I mean, the more you do this, the more I will win for you guys.”

But many fans locked it away, watched and waited, figuring that here was a smart, passionate and witty player who might just bring something different to tennis—and that in addition to his unusual playing style.

Of course, 2020 took all the players out of circulation for much of the season, but that was not enough to dampen Medvedev’s progress to the Paris Masters and ATP Finals titles—plus a semi run at the US Open.

Come 2021, he became the first man in 16 years to reach No2 in the ranks not named Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray, doing so with his 10th career title, Marseille.

He had become, in short, a familiar figure with tennis fans far and wide, his profile boosted by another Masters title and another Major final, in Australia, in 2021. Then at last came the Major title he craved—at the US Open.

That he achieved it in one of New York’s most high-profile men’s finals in years, with Djokovic on the cusp of becoming only the second man in the Open era after Rod Laver to win the Calendar Slam, ensured Medvedev was again not the fans’ favourite.

Djokovic had fervent support for this very special match, support that cranked up when Medvedev double faulted on his first match point, and was then broken for the first time. Even so, he regrouped, retained his composure, and served out victory at the next attempt.

This time, there was no sarcasm in his speech, but rather sympathy:

“First of all I want to say sorry for you fans and Novak. We all know what he was going for today… It was definitely tough. Cannot say other way. I knew that the only thing I can do is focus. Never know what would happen if it [became] 5-5, if I would start to get crazy or whatever. It didn’t happen.”

Now, as the tall, articulate—and yes, witty—defending champion prepares in New York, he boasts one Major title from four finals, has four Masters crowns, and a tally of 14 titles from 26 finals.

He could face Nadal again in the title match, and that after losing to the Spaniard for a second time in a five-set Major final, in Australia eight months ago. But this time, Medvedev begins as top seed and world No1, finds no Djokovic in the draw, and knows that Nadal has played, and lost, only one match since withdrawing injured from the semis at Wimbledon.

If Medvedev does indeed face Nadal again, he may still find the fans against him, but that has not prevented him acquitting himself with humour, charm and generosity before the show got on the road.

“I love being back here. I remember first time coming here as a junior, then in the qualies, then I think lost in the first round, so it was not good results. Then in 2019 started playing good here.

“I feel straightaway at home in a way. In New York, I have a special relationship with the crowd. I have no idea how it’s going to go this year, but I’m happy to be here and happy to experience whatever’s going to happen.”

Asked about what appeals to tennis fans about him and his game, he was typically frank:

“It’s going to be a little bit harsh on myself, but I’m going to say: I do think if you look at Daniil Medvedev only on the tennis court, only as a tennis player, maybe it’s not that easy to like him (or me) as much because, I mean, my technique is a little bit odd.

“My game style is probably not the flashiest, but that’s because I want to win. When I was young, when I was 18, I was hitting the ball as hard as I can. Maybe people would love that more, but I probably would not win a Grand Slam!”

But then he spoke about himself:

“But I do feel like when I interact with my fans, if they know a little bit more of who I am in real life, they start to like me more. I would think my personality together with what I am on the tennis court, what I am straight afterwards in interviews or my personal life, is what makes some people a fan of Daniil Medvedev.”

Indeed only recently, many fans were impressed by his response to a heckler waiting in the crowds after his loss to Nick Kyrgios in Montreal. He could have walked on, and ignored it. Instead, he stopped and calmly challenged the behavior. He reflected afterwards:

“It doesn’t matter, after the match, during the tournament, on the street or at home—if someone laughs at me, I will answer… The surrounding people asked him to apologise. But it doesn’t matter. I won’t let anyone shout nasty things at me, I won’t keep silent and I won’t pass by.”

It is the latest example of ‘what you see is what you get’, as he explained in his pre-tournament press conference in New York:

“I always say, I just want to be myself and see what people think of me. Even sometimes if it’s not good. Sometimes it doesn’t please me, but I never want to do something fake.”

It is hard, too, not to respect the work ethic and determination that has got him to the top. He added:

“For me the biggest challenge always is to play tennis; we want to win every tournament. So it’s always a constant challenge, but I’m working well, so I’m confident in myself. And that’s most important, [that] when I finish my career, or when I finish the year, I can I look back and ask if I did everything I can. [Then] if yes, what can I do better, let’s adjust for next year—and that’s a challenge. [Smiling] But I like a challenge.”

Medvedev, the Big Apple’s defending champion and world No1, will be back on tennis’s biggest court, with the biggest tennis crowd, to open the tournament on Monday afternoon. Will the fans like what they see? It feels, now, as though they very well might.