The Sunday Mail
When Daniil Medvedev was emerging through the junior ranks, he worried that his hot temper would scupper his hopes of reaching his formidable full potential.
Those fears have not been entirely unfounded.
Ice-cool when he breezed so stylishly past Novak Djokovic in the final of the US Open last weekend, Medvedev’s composed demolition of the world number one was the most mature triumph so far of a career which has occasionally been overshadowed by flashpoints ranging from the unedifying to the hilarious.
Last month, on his way to winning the National Bank Open in Canada, Medvedev asked Aurelie Tourte — the umpire at the centre of Djokovic’s infamous disqualification from Flushing Meadows last year — whether he should change his underwear in a corner.
After being punished for talking during a point, he joked that opponent Alexander Bublik was laughing at the official, sharing the clip afterwards while correctly predicting that it would be ammunition for meme-makers.
Part of the unspoken requirement for the players who will succeed Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer as trophy monopolisers is to match the power of their presence and charisma.
The ‘next gen’ of promising younger players are often accused of lacking the substance to match their style, the grit and moments of genius to match their carefully cultivated social media profiles, slick personal style and fame-happy celebrity status.
Medvedev has looked like a player to believe in.
Now he has proved it against the man to beat.
His maverick tendencies give him that inimitability which makes the heavyweight three such a huge draw for fans.
While popular Medvedev is known as an affable joker on tour — witness Djokovic’s sincere pleasure in the identity of the champion last Sunday — there have been incidents that have rightly brought his character under scrutiny.
In 2016, he told fans he was ‘genuinely sorry’ after he was disqualified at the Savannah Challenger event for an offence that the United States Tennis Association confirmed had involved a racial element.
Then 20, he made remarks that were, at best, appallingly misjudged, including being caught on microphones telling an African-American official that she was ‘friends’ with his opponent of the same ethnic background.
The following year, after losing in five sets to Belgium’s Ruben Bemelmans, Medvedev bizarrely threw loose change at the chair of Mariana Alves at the end of a tempestuous five-set defeat.
Medvedev denied that he had been accusing Alves of bias, acknowledging that he had invested no thought into a stunt which had ‘no meaning’ while vowing to apologise to her.
World number 15 Diego Schwartzmann is no friend of his, calling Medvedev a ‘moron’ and a ‘fool’ after perceiving him to have goaded Argentina fans during their match on the way to Russia’s impressive ATP Cup triumph last year.
There now seems to be a healthy level of necessary catharsis to Medvedev’s expressive temperament, though.
In Tokyo, he balanced his willingness to speak out about the exhausting conditions by adding that such a grand stage was no place to ‘cry about the heat’.
Perhaps the closest Medvedev has seemed to troubled was at this year’s Australian Open.
In a stuttering performance against Filip Krajinovic in the third round, Medvedev lashed out at the guidance offered from the stands by coach Gilles Cervara, telling him to ‘just let me play’.
Cervera appeared to make a hasty exit from the sidelines on that occasion.
America was the place for another experience that has defined the player and man Medvedev is today.
In 2019, he managed to pack an altercation with a ballboy, a swipe at an umpire and a raised middle finger to the stands into a theatrical flourish worthy of the pantomime villain he instantly became to the unimpressed crowds.
The role was one Medvedev relished, archly telling them that their jeers had given him the energy to advance to the final, where he lost a five-set thriller to Nadal.
Since then, Medvedev has begun working with psychologist Francisca Dos, who was inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium alongside the likes of Maria Sharapova — the last Russian to win a Grand Slam, in Paris in 2012 — to witness his controlled crushing of Djokovic.
Medvedev’s wife, Daria, has also been key to his personal growth, lending him a sympathetic ear when he needs to talk in between indulging his love of films during his days off.
‘Catch me if you Can’ is his movie of choice, admiring the performances of Tom Hanks and Leonardo di Caprio in the lead roles.
As he reduced Djokovic to a supporting character in his stunning win to take the title, what stood out was Medvedev’s awareness and empathy as his rival dealt with his understandably high emotions after missing out on his Grand Slam dream.
Appearing to tell his entourage to keep their celebrations muted, Medvedev simply returned to his chair – albeit after lying comically still on the court to underline his shock at his first major title — and allowed Djokovic the space and respect he deserved.
Djokovic has had a magnificent 2021.
Federer’s future is in doubt, but Nadal seems determined to return.
Medvedev’s is only the second Grand Slam title of the last 19 not to have been won by one of the established trio, following Dominic Thiem’s US Open win last year, which he achieved in the wake of Djokovic’s disqualification and with Nadal and Federer absent.
Thiem has gone on to achieve precious little by his high standards this year, demonstrating that there are no guarantees that Medvedev will become number one while the modern greats are still competing. — Dailymail
