- Daniil Medvedev blew a kiss to the crowd in Melbourne
- He was unhappy with jeers being directed his way
- The Russian has advanced to the semi finals
Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev had a message for his haters after reaching his third consecutive grand slam semi-final on Wednesday.
Medvedev, who has played the pantomine villain Down Under before, blew a kiss to the Rod Laver Arena crowd during the fifth set after copping jeers from fans in the stands.
But on the court it has been a taxing Australian Open campaign.
The two-time Open runner-up set up a final-four meeting with either Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz or Germany’s Alexander Zverev by defeating Polish ninth seed Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-3 5-7 6-4 in a thrilling quarter final on Wednesday.
After securing the win in three hours and 59 minutes with a tricky drop shot, Medvedev celebrated by blowing three kisses to his box, mainly directed at coach Gilles Cervara.
Daniil Medvedev blew a kiss to his hecklers after his Australian Open quarter final victory
The Russian tennis star was unhappy with jeers from the crowd on Wednesday
Medvedev’s second-round battle against Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori earlier in this year’s tournament went to 3.39am after also going five sets.
After walking off the court, Medvedev wrote on a camera: ‘Just want to sleep now’.
‘After every match, I’m in the locker room. I’m destroyed,’ he said.
‘One day off is probably enough to feel good the next day.
‘So far, so good in the beginning of the matches, and that’s what matters.
‘Then try to win, and then if you’re dead after, doesn’t matter because you have a day off.’
The world No.3 is expecting his semi-final to be played as the night match on Friday, even though 10-time Open champion and world No.1 Novak Djokovic prefers the 7pm timeslot.
Djokovic and young Italian star Jannik Sinner won their quarter finals on Tuesday, meaning they have an extra day off to recover than Medvedev.
‘I think it’s kind of done in the schedule before the tournament, if I’m not wrong, so fine for me,’ Medvedev responded to a question about playing on Friday night.
‘The way the schedule (is), because it’s only two matches, it’s not going to be possible it starts at 11(pm), unless they play seven hours, which I doubt.’
Medvedev has been back to his best since making the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year.
He then made the final at the US Open, losing to Djokovic in straight sets.
It has been a gruelling campaign for Medvedev who has had to fight for his place
He wants Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner to play a marathon semi final
It followed a concerning form slump after losing the 2022 Australian Open final against Rafael Nadal in heartbreaking circumstances.
Leading two sets to love at Melbourne Park in the decider two years ago, Medvedev looked on his way to a second major title and first in Australia.
But Nadal had other ideas, pulling off a remarkable comeback in one of the great grand slam finals.
Medvedev failed to make it past the fourth round in his next four appearances at majors, dropping out of the world’s top 10 after a third-round exit at Melbourne Park last year.
‘You know, if there is almost no one left in the tournament, that means you’ve done a great job,’ he said.
‘There’s no one to disturb you. It’s just you, so go try to win it.
‘I like this feeling.’