23-year-old Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev taunted a booing crowd at the US Open: 'I won because of you'
- Daniil Medvedev trolled a booing US Open audience after his victory on Friday night.
- "I want all of you to know when you sleep tonight: I won because of you," Medvedev told the booing crowd after the match, waving his arms to encourage them to continue to show their disapproval.
- The crowd turned against Medvedev after he snatched a towel away from a ballperson early in the match.
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Daniil Medvedev embraced his role as a villain at the US Open on Friday night, encouraging the crowd to boo him through his post-match interview on the court.
After defeating Feliciano Lopez in four sets, the 23-year-old Russian was met with a swell of boos from the crowd. Rather than shy away from the attention, Medvedev played into the crowd as he took the microphone and thanked them for encouraging him to victory.
"First of all I can say thank you all, guys, because your energy tonight gave me the win," Medvedev said. "Because if you were not here, guys, I would probably lose the match, because I was so tired. I was cramping yesterday - it was so tough for me to play. So I want all of you to know when you sleep tonight: I won because of you."
He then applauded the crowd and waved his arms to encourage his audience to boo more.
"Again, the only thing I can say is the energy you're giving me right now, guys, I think it will be enough for my five next matches," he concluded. "The more you will do this, the more I will win - for you guys."
The boos from the crowd came after a tense match that was filled with attitude from Medvedev.
During the first set of the match, Medvedev irked the Queens crowd after he angrily grabbed a towel from a ballperson in a somewhat aggressive fashion.
Medvedev received a code violation for his action and responded by throwing his racket and slyly giving the middle finger to the umpire as he walked past his chair.
After the match, Medvedev was notably calmer when discussing the win.
"I was in the heat of the moment. Started losing the momentum, so I mean, was tough," Medvedev said, per AP Sports. "Was tough and I don't really remember. I mean, I paid for it the whole match after, because as you saw it wasn't easy. So I'm just happy to win."
"I'm working on myself and hopefully I will be better next time," he concluded.
With his victory, Medvedev advanced to the fourth round, where he will face off against Dominik Koepfer on Sunday.
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