Daniil Medvedev: My on-court demeanor different from Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal

Daniil Medvedev was the leader of the Russian Tennis Federation’s Davis Cup-winning team but had a mixed reception from the Madrid crowds, which booed him following wins against Spain and Germany but backed him in the final.

That's nothing new, though, Medvedev's fortunes with the crowds have always been unpredictable. At the 2019 US Open, he was booed for giving the finger to the crowd in the first week, but then had fans rooting for him as he extended the final to five sets.

The No. 2 says that fans are having to get used to more emotional players like him following the long reign of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

"I think the tough part for the young generation, because we had Roger and Rafa, they are probably the most fairest sportsmen in all the history of the sport, and they were both playing together, and they both won amazing titles," he said. "Now when somebody in tennis is not like this, people tend to not like them and say, ‘How come you're not like Roger and Rafa?’ Guess what, everybody is different.

"I think the moment when they retire and there are going to be new fans who didn't see Roger and Rafa live, that's what it's going to come back to where people are going to like other characters."

But Medvedev adds that he doesn't do it to provoke the crowds.

The 25-year-old has been getting testy on court since he arrived on tour – in 2017 during Wimbledon, he earned a first-round win against Stan Wawrinka, and was then fined for throwing coins under the umpire's chair in a second-round defeat to Ruben Bemelmans.

"What happened in Wimbledon, that was not nice and I regret it. It was pure emotions," he said. "It was not something fake or something where I think about something. It was pure emotions. I regret and it was not beautiful, not good. But that's also how you learn. You make mistakes and you learn.

"On the tennis court, it's different. It's a lot of adrenaline going on. I hate to lose. There is less time and less power in myself to stop and think. So I go with emotions which sometimes is good, sometimes is not good."

He has been mostly successful this season, winning his first Grand Slam at the US Open, and three other titles.

Medvedev won all his singles contests for the Russian team during Davis Cup.