An irked Daniil Medvedev mocked the French fans in Metz during his 4-6, 7-6, 3-6 defeat to Stan Wawrinka on Thursday.
In the third game of the decider, Medvedev smashed his racquet on the court in frustration.
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As the French crowd started jeering him, the Russian responded by giving the crowd two thumbs down.
He went on to mock their jeering, which only grew louder as more spectators joined in.
Medvedev proceeds to make fun of the French crowd – by calling them monkeys (?) – after they boo him for throwing his racket…
If there’s one thing you don’t do towards a French crowd, it’s provoke them… pic.twitter.com/ZbrfchbbKF
— Olly 🎾🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) September 22, 2022
The chair umpire and Wawrinka attempted to calm the crowd but Medvedev was not done, making a gesture as if to say that the fans had lost their minds, before play resumed.
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Wawrinka played down the incident after his first win over a top-10 player since the 2020 Paris Masters against Andrey Rublev.
“We always have some great battles,” the Swiss said.
“He is at the top of the rankings. One of the best players and nicest person outside of the court, so it is always great to play against each other.”
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Medvedev battled hard to get back on serve, and he saved another match point when Wawrinka served for the match at 5-3.
But the three-time major winner held his nerve to triumph after two hours and 21 minutes.
Wawrinka will next play Swede Mikael Ymer, who eliminated home favourite Gregoire Barrere 6-4, 6-3.
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