Russian bean pole No 3 seed Daniil Medvedev renewed his unlikely love affair with the Wimbledon crowd after surviving a scare to defeat Hungarian muscle man Marton Fucsovics and avoid the shock of the tournament so far.
Chiselled outsider Fucsovics raced into an early lead against the highly educated six-foot-four favourite before Medvedev triumphed 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
The Russian, fluent in three languages and a former high-level maths and physics student, missed last year’s tournament as part of the ban on his fellow countrymen and Belarusians amid the war in Ukraine.
An enigmatic character, with a unique variety of shots, he is now a win away from a first quarter-final here and is a genuine threat to top seed Carlos Alcaraz and defending champion Novak Djokovic.
Medvedev beat Djokovic when he won his first Grand Slam title by claiming victory in the US Open final two years ago. That also stopped the Serb completing a calendar Grand Slam
Daniil Medvedev (pictured) celebrated in front of the Wimbledon crowd today after beating Marton Fucsovics of Hungary in the men’s singles
The Russian survived an early scare, coming back to beat his opponent 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
And despite the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine, it is Medvedev who seems more of a crowd favourite here than the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
‘What I love about Wimbledon is the crowd,’ he said with a smile.
‘I feel like that’s what I see on TV and in my matches. They always go for the one who is losing, they always want to see five sets.
‘I’m always wondering because I felt there was just a little more support for Marton but I’m saying again it’s normal.
‘There was a moment in the match he started losing, they wanted the comeback, they wanted the match longer.
‘And I was just like “fifth set? How it’s going to be?” because after five sets the match cannot go any longer. I think that’s fun to be supporting the one who is a little bit down in the match to try and get him up.
‘It’s tough for the one who is winning but it’s quite fair so I like it.’
Medvedev is one of seven Russians and Belarusians through to the fourth round, after missing out last year.
He commented: ‘That shows that we know sometimes how to play good tennis, because sometimes we lose, sometimes we win. It means that a lot of players can play well. A lot of players missed it last year, this opportunity to go deep in such a beautiful tournament like Wimbledon. I don’t think there is any second thought after this.
‘We’re just here to try to play our best, maybe win, maybe go far, maybe not. I hope just for myself that I will be able to go far.’
Fucsovics, a former world No 1 junior, has never been higher than 31st in the senior rankings but was a threat throughout this match.
He was a quarter-finalist here two years ago, when only Djokovic could stop an impressive run.
That was the year Medvedev went to No 1 in the world after winning his maiden Grand Slam in New York.
He has now won 44 matches this year — more than any other player on the men’s tour — but was taking nothing for granted on a surface on which he has often looked ill at ease. He added: ‘It’s sure that on clay and the grass I play less good than on hard courts.
Fucsovics (pictured) took the first set off the former world No 1 in dramatic scenes on Court No 1
But the Russian wrestled the match back in his favour and will now advance to the fourth round
‘But I want to try to change it and try to be in the finals of Slams, playing the best players, even on these surfaces. That’s another chance for me this year.
‘I’m more motivated just because so far it’s been my worst Slam. Fourth round is my best result.
‘Even I wouldn’t say that I love grass, I feel like I can play well here. So that’s important for me to try to prove to myself and maybe everyone else that I can do it and can go far.
‘Also the thing after I reached the Australian Open last year, I never really had a deep run in the Slams. Never was even in quarters.
‘I want to change it because I feel like I belong to this later stages of this tournament.’