Medvedev might skip the video-game celebration if he wins

Daniil Medvedev's "Dead Fish "celebration at the end of the 2021 US Open final stands out as among the most unusual and unexpected reactions to a major tennis championship. His slow flop to the blue court in Arthur Ashe Stadium after ending Novak Djokovic's bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam was a nod to the FIFA soccer video game, and Medvedev himself declared it "legendary".

So what does Medvedev have planned if he can manage to claim a second major trophy — perhaps as soon as at the Australian Open, where he is scheduled to play his first-round match Tuesday against Kasidit Samrej, a 20-year-old wild-card entry from Thailand who is ranked outside the top 400?

Well, the 28-year-old Russian says he certainly has given it some thought.

"But I don't have anything set up, like, 'OK, if I do it, I'm going to do this.' It comes more, I would say, in the moment, depending on how the tournament goes, depending on how the match goes," said Medvedev, who recently became a father for a second time and goes into Tuesday without having played a match this season.

"What I can definitely say is: It's not going to be something crazy. It's not going to be as iconic as the 'Dead Fish'. It's just going to be a fun move that would be dedicated either to my friends or my family or my team."

Maybe that means this one wouldn't be inspired by his off-court interest in gaming, which extended recently to a spot in TopSpin 2K25 as a playable character, joining stars of the past such as Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, and of the present such as Coco Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek.

Medvedev returns to Melbourne Park in real life a year after coming oh-so-close to Slam title No 2: He took the first two sets of the final against Jannik Sinner before losing in five.

"For sure," Sinner said, "he will lift some more Grand Slam trophies."

That setback made Medvedev 1-5 in major finals; he has reached the championship match in Australia in three of the past four years, including defeats against Rafael Nadal in 2022 and Djokovic in 2021.

"He's going to have many more chances," Darren Cahill, one of Sinner's coaches, said about Medvedev. "He's a helluva player, a helluva competitor. ... His tennis IQ is as good as anybody's."

There's no doubt that Medvedev is among the very best of his generation. Still, in some ways, his Melbourne Park debut being set for Day 3 — after Sinner, Alcaraz, Djokovic, Gauff and Swiatek were all slated to get started on Monday — is fitting for someone who is a bit pushed to the side by others with more acclaim.

After all, Medvedev's career bridged two sets of greatness: The Big Three of Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer — with 66 Grand Slam trophies among them — and the new duo at the top of men's tennis, Alcaraz and Sinner, two guys who are barely into their early 20s but already have combined to win six major championships, including all four in 2024.

Medvedev has blocked their paths a few times at big events, though. He eliminated Sinner at Wimbledon in July, and Alcaraz at the US Open in 2023 and Wimbledon in 2021.

And Medvedev, who reached No 1 in 2022, says his aim for 2025 is to improve to the point that he can continue to beat a couple of guys he called "The Big Two".

"It's a tough challenge. It's not easy. And I need to find a way to be a better version of myself to be able to do it," Medvedev said. "That's going to be the big goal."

Agencies via Xinhua