PARIS: There will be no flags or festivities for Daniil Medvedev at the Paris Olympics, but the headlines about the Russian athlete's star will likely be far from over in the French capital.
The tennis star, along with other Russians and Belarusians at the Olympics, will have to compete as neutrals after Moscow invaded Ukraine.
When they proved that they did not support the war and had no affiliation with the military, they were allowed to compete, but could not raise their national flag.
The national anthems of both countries are also banned, and if Medvedev wins his first Olympic medal, the achievement will not be recognized in the medal table.
“When I am 40 years old, if I can say that I played in the Tokyo Olympics, the Paris Olympics and the Los Angeles Olympics, that I had a lot of fun in my life and my career, I will be happy,” Medvedev said.
The 28-year-old world number five is one of the most controversial players in tennis.
The 1.98m (6ft 6in) giant was nearly disqualified from his Wimbledon semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz this month after verbally abusing the chair umpire, before walking away with a caution.
Medvedev explained that he called the officer “a little cat.”
His short temper has seen him clash with rivals Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev.
In 2018 in Miami, after Tsitsipas made rude remarks about Medvedev, the Russian kicked the Greek out, calling him a “little boy who doesn’t know how to play.”
His rivalry with Zverev peaked in Monte Carlo last year, when Medvedev saved two match points in a hard-fought last-16 win.
Germany's Zverev slams Medvedev for going to the toilet at crucial moment of match, branding the Russian “one of the most unfair players in the world”
Medvedev hit back, telling the current world No. 4: “Look in the mirror.”
In Netflix's Break Point series, Zverev accused Medvedev of playing a “dirty game,” adding: “He's a guy who knows how to play with his opponent's head.”
People around the world cannot escape Medvedev's wrath.
At last year's Paris Masters, he branded fans “stupid” for booing him during one of his matches.
Despite being advised to stop the match, he agreed to continue, but warned his tormentors, “Shut up, okay?”
Despite his fiery personality, Medvedev, who plays chess and speaks fluent French, has reached the top of the sport.
At the 2021 US Open, he won his only major title, easily defeating Novak Djokovic in the final and denying the Serb a rare Grand Slam on the calendar.
In a unique move, Medvedev celebrated his victory in New York by falling on the Arthur Ashe court and imitating the “dead fish” celebration from the FIFA video game.
Medvedev almost painfully added to his collection of majors
In this year's Australian Open final, he lost in two sets to Jannik Sinner.
Two years ago in Melbourne, he led Rafael Nadal in two sets before losing again in five sets.
Nadal also beat another opponent in the 2019 US Open final, winning in five sets.
Outside of the Grand Slams, Medvedev is only one of six men to have won 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 became the first person in 18 years apart from Novak Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Nadal to reach the top spot.
At the Paris Olympics, which start Friday, Medvedev believes his best chance of winning a medal will be in doubles rather than singles, using a clay surface that is often not suitable for his game.
“I will prepare a lot for doubles and mixed doubles because I believe I have a better chance than singles at Roland Garros,” he said.
