Daniil Medvedev of Russia talks with an ATP trainer during a break in his match against Rafael Nadal of Spain in the men's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair) Daniil Medvedev took on Rafael Nadal on Sunday to crown the new Australian Open champion and in typical Medvedev fashion, had a lot to say during the course of the match. This time it was the ballkids who raised the ire of the Russian.
Apparently Medvedev likes making sure each of the ball kids are holding two balls each. He even redirects when they get the equation wrong.
Medvedev cracks it AGAIN – this time at the ballkids! 😳
Nobody is safe from Daniil's rage!#AusOpen – Live on Channel 9 and 9Now. Ad-Free Live & On Demand on Stan Sport pic.twitter.com/AS4wTC2hS6
— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) January 30, 2022
According to Egyptian sports journalist Reem Abulleil’s Twitter account, Medvedev also wants the umpire to announce that whoever shouts between the first and second serve “is an idiot”.
Medvedev wants the umpire to announce that whoever shouts between the first and second serve “is an idiot”.
— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) January 30, 2022
In the match, Nadal took the match to a fourth set. He had won the third set 6-4, breaking in the ninth game and then serving out at love, after Medvedev won the first two sets 6-2, 7-6 (5).
The 35-year-old Spaniard’s bid for men’s record 21st major title is still alive. He missed his chance to serve out the second set when he was broken in a game that lasted more than 12 minutes and was interrupted by a court invader.
Nadal had been facing breakpoint in the ninth game of the second set when the protester jumped from the stands into the playing arena at Medvedev’s end.
Security quickly surrounded both players and detained the protester, who was carrying a banner with the words: “Abolish Refugee Detention.” Medvedev broke serve in that game, held and then won the tiebreaker to get potentially within one set of claiming back-to-back major titles.
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