Usually when a star is born under the lights in Flushing Meadows, it’s because they have shocked a top contender with an absolutely blistering performance. (See: Alexei Popyrin.) But Daniil Medvedev has always done things his way, and the night he transcended from a young upstart to an icon of the sport at the US Open had more to do with what happened once the tennis ended.
In 2019, Medvedev arrived in New York as arguably the most in-form player in the field—having recently upset Novak Djokovic to lift the championship trophy at the Masters event in Cincinnati. Yet he was not necessarily a household name.
In the third round, he fought through a tight four-set battle against tour veteran and 2015 quarterfinalist Feliciano Lopez. The match, at times, got testy, with the younger player receiving a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct in the second set, and the crowd very vocally rooting for the Spanish journeyman to pull off the upset.
Much to their dismay, that didn’t happen. When Medvedev stepped to the microphone to begin his on-court post-match interview, he was met with a resounding chorus of boos.
“Thank you all guys,” he said in response. “Because your energy tonight give me the win. Because if you were not here guys, I would probably lose the match. Because I was so tired, I was cramping yesterday, it was so tough for me to play. So I want all of you to know, when you sleep tonight, I won because of you!”
The stadium erupted with even louder boos, and Medvedev mockingly held his hands up, gesturing for spectators to keep it going.
“All I can say is, the energy you’re giving me right now, I think it will be enough for my five next matches,” he continued. “The more you do this, the more I will win for you guys! Thank you!”
A clip of the interview lit up the internet, and today the moment feels like an origin story, a prologue. Watching it now, with Medvedev standing in the center of Louis Armstrong Stadium, clad in a white-and-yellow Lacoste polo, arms comically outstretched, inviting the crowd to continue hating on him, you get the sense that this was the first glimpse of what we take for granted about Medvedev today: This guy has personality, and when you come watch him play tennis, if nothing else, he will give you an experience.
Medvedev, for his part, understands the role the moment played in raising his profile.
“To be honest, look, there are some things in my career I'm not happy [about], but this interview was probably my best-ever after the match,” Medvedev recently said in a post-match press conference when told this year marked its five-year anniversary. “I absolutely, absolutely love it. If people want to celebrate, I'm there for it.”
He also recalled how the match itself marked a career turning-point.
“That night was one of the best for sure,” he said. “I managed to win the match with Feliciano playing unbelievable this day. He was playing unreal, and I managed to win it and [then] be in the final. That's where in a way my Grand Slam career started because before I think I was never even in a quarterfinal. So definitely, to be honest, one of the biggest moments of my career maybe."
But of course it was the famous words that are best remembered. "The interview, it's always great to watch," he continued. "I remember, I think it was at Davis Cup in 2021, and Alexander Bublik won one of his matches. He got tense with the crowd a little bit, and he went on to give an interview. He said, ‘I won because of you, et cetera.’ That was very funny. When other players quote you, it's something special.”
As he noted, Medvedev would go on to reach the men’s final that year, ultimately thrilling fans inside Arthur Ashe Stadium as he pushed Rafael Nadal to five sets over five hours in an instant classic. In his on-court post-match runner-up interview, Medvedev referenced his third-round fracas.
“I want to talk about you guys,” he said with a smirk. “I know earlier in the tournament, I said something in a bad way. Now I’m saying it in a good way. It was because of your energy I was here in the final.”
He was met with thunderous applause.
Ultimately, the entire interaction over the course of the fortnight speaks to why Medvedev has become such a fan favorite in Flushing Meadows: He is, at the end of the day, authentically himself on court.
“When I'm on the court, I always make headlines,” Medvedev said. “Sometimes bad. Sometimes good. Sometimes funny. Sometimes less funny. I'm someone, I don't really like headlines, but when I'm on the court, my mind is boiling, constantly boiling. Sometimes it's frustration. Sometimes with good emotions. It's like tea. It just comes out even if I don't want it. It just boils. I think it's good. You know, I will finish my career. I will have some good legacy in terms of titles and good memories on court and for sure some iconic moments like on the microphone.”
