When Daniil Medvedev won his first major title by denying Novak Djokovic the calendar-year Grand Slam at the 2021 US Open, he marked the occasion with the now-iconic "dead fish" celebration, borrowed from the FIFA video game series.
On Thursday in Indian Wells, Medvedev's celebration was surprisingly full of life.
Known for his non-reactions after big wins, Medvedev has occasionally broken character and let loose. But never before has he jumped for joy like he did after converting his third match point in a 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(7) quarterfinal victory against Arthur Fils.
A miraculous Medvedev get drew an error from the French phenom, and the dramatic nature of the final point sent the fifth seed into hysterics.
“If I would make a winner on match point, I would probably be less excited," Medvedev explained. "Because I was surprised: I thought the point is over and we go again, and he missed it. It happens. I was surprised, and that got my adrenaline too much. I couldn't control it!” he smiled.
So intense were the celebrations that Medvedev felt the need to apologize to Fils at the net: "The adrenaline got me going. I jumped next to him. Then I was, like, 'Sorry, man, I usually don't celebrate like this.' But it's OK, it can happen," he continued.
Medvedev went on to explain his relief at pulling out the victory, having been on the other side of several similar matches this season. At the Australian Open, he lost a 10-7 fifth-set tiebreak to 19-year-old American Learner Tien. Last month in Dubai, he missed out on four match points in a quarterfinal defeat to Tallon Griekspoor.
All that—plus the tension of the match against Fils, in which he fought back from a break down in the third set—added up to one epic celebration. Can we expect more of the same if Medvedev beats Holger Rune on Saturday to reach his third straight Indian Wells final?
"I don't know. Depends the match, depends the moment," he said. "Personally, I never understood when it's like 5-1, 40-Love and the guy goes crazy. Yeah, well, we can lose matches like this, but most of the time you probably win it. And that's why me, if it's like 5-2, 40-Love, I'm like, OK, I just do one more serve, the match is over, it's OK.
"Everyone is different. Let's see."
In honor of Medvedev's latest viral celebration, USOpen.org brings you a collection of the 29-year-old's best post-match moments.
2019 US Open: Medvedev played the villain for part of his run to his first US Open final, but won over the New York crowd by the time he pushed Rafael Nadal to five sets in a classic championship match.
2021 US Open: The famous "dead fish" celebration.
"Only legends will understand, but my celebration was L2 + Left," Medvedev explained at the time. "I like to play FIFA. I like to play PlayStation. It's called the 'dead fish' celebration. If you want to annoy your opponent when you play FIFA, many times you're going to do this one. You're going to score a goal, you're up 5-0, you do this one."
Rome 2023: Medvedev celebrates a milestone clay-court victory and a measure of revenge against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
2024 US Open: Medvedev borrows another celebration from the soccer world, this time paying homage to Cristiano Ronaldo after beating Fabian Marozsan in the New York second round.
