Medvedev fired up for another tilt at Olympic tennis glory

There will be no flags or fanfare for Daniil Medvedev at the Paris Olympics, but Russia's highest-profile athlete in the French capital is unlikely to be far from the headlines.

The tennis star, along with other Russian and Belarusian athletes at the Games, has to compete as a neutral due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Having demonstrated that they have not supported the war, and have no links to the military, they have been allowed to compete but cannot fly their national flags.

The two countries' national anthems are also banned, and, should Medvedev win an Olympic medal for the first time, the achievement will not be recognized in the official medals table.

"When I'm 40, if I can say I played in the Tokyo Olympics, Paris Olympics and Los Angeles Olympics, I had a lot of fun in my life, my career, I'm going to be happy," said Medvedev.

The 28-year-old world No 5 is one of the most controversial players in tennis.

The 1.98m giant came close to being disqualified from his Wimbledon semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz this month for a foul-mouthed rant at the chair umpire, before escaping with a warning.

Medvedev explained that he had called the official "a small cat".

His explosive temperament has seen him feud with rivals Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev.

In Miami in 2018, after Tsitsipas made a foul-mouthed remark about Medvedev, the Russian dismissed the Greek as a "small kid who doesn't know how to play".

His rivalry with Zverev peaked at Monte Carlo last year, when Medvedev saved two match points in a tense last-16 victory.

Germany's Zverev lashed out at Medvedev for taking a bathroom break at a key moment in the tie, blasting the Russian as "one of the most unfair players in the world".

Medvedev hit back, telling the current world No 4 to "take a look at yourself in the mirror".

In the Netflix series Break Point, Zverev accused Medvedev of playing "dirty games" and added: "He's somebody that knows how to play with the head of the opponent".

Crowds around the world have not escaped the wrath of Medvedev, either.

At the Paris Masters last year, he branded fans "stupid" for jeering during one of his matches.

Despite suggesting that he would halt his match, he agreed to continue, but scolded his tormentors telling them: "Shut your mouths, okay!"

Despite his fiery personality, the chess-playing, fluent French-speaking Medvedev has reached the peaks of the sport.

At the 2021 US Open, he claimed his only major title, easily defeating Novak Djokovic in the final and denying the Serb a rare calendar Grand Slam.

True to his unorthodox nature, Medvedev celebrated his New York victory by falling to the floor of the Arthur Ashe Stadium and imitating the "dead fish" celebration from a FIFA video game.

Medvedev has come agonizingly close to adding to his collection of majors.

At this year's Australian Open final, he surrendered a two-set lead to lose to Jannik Sinner.

Two years ago, in Melbourne, he had opened a two-set lead over Rafael Nadal only to lose in five. Nadal also got the better of him at the 2019 US Open final in another five-setter.

Away from the Slams, Medvedev is one of just six men to have captured six or more Masters titles, joining Djokovic, Roger Federer, Nadal, Andre Agassi and Andy Murray.

When he spent 16 weeks as world No 1 in 2022, he was the first man other than Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Nadal in 18 years to attain the top spot.

At the Paris Olympics, which open on Friday, Medvedev believes his best chance of a medal will be in doubles, rather than singles, on a clay-court surface which has often been alien to his game.

"I'm going to prepare a lot for doubles and mixed doubles, because I do believe I have more chance there than in singles at Roland Garros," he said.

AFP