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Australian Open favorite Daniil Medvedev accused raucous fans of having 'a low IQ' and no respect after mistakenly thinking he was getting booed

Daniil Medvedev talks to the crowd after his Australian Open victory over Nick Kyrgios on January 20
Medvedev was not happy with how he perceived the crowd at the Rod Laver Arena to be treating him. YouTube/Eurosport Tennis

  • Daniil Medvedev clashed angrily with the Australian Open crowd after knocking out Nick Kyrgios.
  • The tournament favorite was subjected to a chorus of "SIUUUU," but thought he was being booed.
  • "It's not everybody that's doing it but the people doing it probably have a low IQ," he later said. 
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Daniil Medvedev clashed angrily with the crowd at the Australian Open after he knocked out homegrown favorite Nick Kyrgios in the second round on Thursday.

The world number two, who is hotly tipped to win the tournament following Novak Djokovic's deportation, beat Kyrgios 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

Throughout the match at the Rod Laver Arena, fans in the stands could regularly be heard shouting Cristiano Ronaldo's famous goal celebration "SIUUU."

Medvedev mistook the chants for jeers and did not hide his feelings about the crowd during his on-court interview after the match.

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"[Remaining calm and focused] is the only choice when you get booed between first and second serve," he told four-time Grand Slam winner and US tennis legend Jim Courier. "You have to stay calm and win the match."

The comment prompted actual boos from the crowd, to which the Russian did not take kindly.

"I'm sorry I can't hear you," he told Courier as he tried to speak again. "Guys, I can't hear him, please. Show some respect for Jim Courier, he won here guys, thank you.

"Let him speak please guys, if you respect someone at least respect Jim Courier," Medvedev continued, his voice clearly showing annoyance

Despite Courier eventually explaining to Medvedev that he wasn't being jeered and instead the crowd were imitating Ronaldo, the 25-year-old further expressed his annoyance in a separate interview with Eurosport, suggesting those responsible have a "low IQ." 

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"No, it's not angry it's just disappointing like I guess it's normal that everybody experiences it really, especially when you play not just a home favourite but Nick," he said.

"I had a few moments on my serve, many games were actually quiet easy for me, but a few moments were tough and he managed to make some good returns.

"Then I have break point second serve and people are cheering like you've already made a double fault. That's just disappointing. It's not everybody that's doing it but the people doing it probably have a low IQ."

Daniil Medvedev and Nick Kyrgios shake hands after their match at the 2022 Australian Open.
Daniil Medvedev and Nick Kyrgios shake hands after their match at the 2022 Australian Open. Kelly Defina/Getty Images

Medvedev isn't the only player in Melbourne to have been irked by Ronaldo impersonators. 

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Andy Murray faced a similar problem during his first round win over Nikoloz Basilashvili on Tuesday, with the Scot describing the chants as "painful."

"Initially, I thought it was [jeering], because there were some people booing during my practice yesterday. I have no idea what for, so originally that's what I thought it was," he said.

"But then after a few times it was like, 'No, they're doing that, I think it's like "SIUUU" or something that Ronaldo does when he scores. And, yeah, it was incredibly irritating."

Tennis Australian Open
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